The story behind this piece has two chapters. The first chapter begins with the frame which was gifted to me by my friends, the Larson’s. I wasn’t sure how I might put this frame to use, considering it was blue with gold rope trim and the fact that it had been “Carl-ized” - a term we used to recognize Jane’s dad who had a habit of fortifying frames in unusual ways. But, you just never know when such a frame might come in handy and they needed it gone.

The next chapter of this story takes place when an acquaintance stopped by our house and invited me to see a stained glass window he owned. I wasn’t sure whether he was looking for repair work or perhaps a commission - but when I saw the window I realized that he knew I would simply appreciate the style, craftmanship, and story behind the piece. It was HUGE and magnificent! (See the photo to the top right) The backstory: The artist behind the piece was a man named Jack Walton who owned a local sign business. It was designed and created to hang in The Harbor House restaurant which was located on the shores of Storm Lake around the 1970’s. Eventually, the restaurant closed and the building was used as a church until it was torn down to make way for King’s Pointe Resort. The window was saved by Bill Hyde of Storm Lake, and then acquired by our friend, Rex Wagener. He explained that it laid in his garage for a long while before finding the perfect spot for it to shine. It is now exquisitely displayed in a series of windows in a home bordering the lakefront that has been in Rex’s family for many years.

These two chapters merged one day as I was trying to draw inspiration for my next piece. I spied the blue frame and felt it called for something nautical… and then recalled the beauty of the Walton piece. I sketched out my version of the window, sought approval and permission from Rex Wagener to use the design, and began my own rendition of the Wind and the Sea.

• 36.5” x 24”; stained glass, grout and adhesive on a framed window pane;

• $475