I have been painting and creating mixed media art for as long as I can remember, but I recently discovered a deep passion for glass fusing. My exploration of mixed media art nurtures and empowers my life-long exploration of human connectedness. My art often incorporates ceramic faces, woven textiles, and natural elements like stones and grasses, that animate the subject or theme while engaging the beholder. Most recently as my work has expanded to include glass fabrication and fusing, I have been captivated by the integration of found objects, gears, wheels, and steampunk-era elements into both my paintings and fused glass pieces. While some compositions simply explore form, texture, and color; others explore deeper themes of human existence –– diversity, connectedness, longing, spirituality, and our connection to the natural world. Hot glass comes alive in the kiln, melting and moving with a graceful flow and anthropomorphic nature that is incomparable with other mediums.