June 2026: Failing Forward

Happy Pride!

Celebrating secular life and its history with science and wonder is the intersection of a lot of my work. 

This month, I am doing a lot of painting and creating. My family has gotten used to having paintings and projects on a section of countertop or table most of the time. If you have not been a maker before, it can seem overwhelming to think about creating something that you like: getting the idea in your brain to come out through your hands/ body into whatever material you are using so it matches what was in your brain. I have been making art for at least four decades and the thrill never grows old. There are some things I wanted to share about what I have learned along the way. Ideas are everywhere, cast a wide net, and expect to fail. 

Ideas are everywhere. 

Ideas can come from anywhere and I try to be prepared. I have a little three ring binger that is nearly always within reach. On the cover, it says Be steady and well ordered in your work so you can be fierce and original in your work. Gustav Flaubert. Inside, I jot down ideas and sketches and set time aside to review and critique them. In brainstorming, there are no bad ideas. Critiquing comes later. 

I came across phylogenetic trees several years ago while reading some science journals. I love the circle’s shape from an artistic perspective. It doesn’t have an obvious beginning or ending.  And the idea of a circle to connect to other living things in a way that represents how evolution connects us all, I was really excited. I also like the lines and angles of a phylogenetic tree – they are geometric yet uneven. And, there are many ways to assemble them through different connections. I dove into different phylogenetic trees to see what connections might be highlighted. 

At last, I found one that had a great story to tell.

Cast a wide net. 

I was really liking this idea and was noodling on how it might become art. Was it a painting, a sculpture, a bowl? I grew up in a Christian tradition and stained glass windows were such a lovely part of an otherwise boring Sunday. In the church I grew up in, they often depicted stories but stained glass as a way to make art is probably best known by Louis Tiffany. I have always loved the glowing colors and shapes that stained glass offers.  I had taken loads of pictures of stained glass over my travels and let them inspire me to create something that gave the same feeling of reverence and awe 

Often, for a piece one considers the palette. I gravitate toward jewel tones by default but I asked some other creative people I know, my children, how I should think about the colors. They suggested the rainbow as a way to show unity. And they came up with this. 

I’d like to say the rest is history, but that would not reflect the true story. 

Expect to fail. 

I knew I wanted the reverence and tradition of stained glass. I knew I wanted something that could be mailed, so heavy glass with a lot of packaging was a barrier for both cost and fragility. I tried to cut the phylogenetic tree shape out using my cutting machine but it turned to shredded pulp because it was too detailed. I try to fail forward. I needed to try something else so I worked with a local shop to get a larger scale cutting out of wood so I could play with the shape.  Then, I took a series of classes at my local maker space to learn how to use CNC machines and laser cutters and enough about 3D and SVG files to create the design. I spent many early Saturday mornings at the maker space experimenting and learning to use the equipment.

Once I had that step, I continued to iterate to create the stained glass feel with lighter materials. I landed on resin as it has a glass look but won’t break in the mail or if your cat knocks it off the tree. But I had to learn resin. I reviewed resin materials (there are a lot) and chose the only no VOC, food safe resin, Art Resin. 

From there, I designed the packaging insert so you could learn the story of the phylogenetic tree you were looking at and share the awe I felt when I first started on this journey. And to my absolute delight it has been shared! I am forever thrilled and surprised when an order comes in for one of my pieces because I am so excited for others to share my excitement about celebrating secular life in so many ways!