EUREKA. Other windows proclaimed the near-century-old sponsorship of WAITERS, FRIENDS, and COLORED ELKS. The afternoon light, flowing through the glass, imbued the names and scenes with an almost tangible vibrancy, as if they themselves were reborn. “These windows, they are important to our church,” Pastor Tavarez said in a later phone conversation. After admitting that his English was “no well,” the Spanish- speaking preacher praised Aleksandra’s efforts: “She is a very good artist.” But is she? Jane Gathright, owner of Stained Glass Stylists in Waretown, was shown photographs of Aleksandra’s personal artwork. The glass art teacher said Aleksandra’s “ability to capture realism in her painted and fired glass, in conjunction with her stained glass workmanship, conveys striking fluidity and gracefulness.” Regarding the renovated church windows, she added that “Aleksandra’s passion . . . will be appreciated for generations to come.” Another admirer is Ocean City painter Frank Kallop, an adjunct instructor of art at Richard Stockton College in Pomona, who called Aleksandra’s self-portraits “beautiful, thought provoking and luminous.” Yes, luminous. The word cannot easily be disassociated from glass art. When Aleksandra creates her personal work, it could be said that, instead of lifting a window off a wall, she lifts an image from her mind and fashions it into the glass on her workbench. The internal becomes external—the glass takes on the shape, the design, of her intent. Yet it lacks its own life until infused with light. In a painting, light reflects. In glass art, light resonates. Like the amplification of sound, the colors in the glass seem to ex- pand. Stained glass may be the name, but stained light is the definition. Observing Aleksandra’s lithe figure, and listening to her soft voice, it would be easy to mistake her as being weak. Her years of dedication to the renovations at New Jerusalem prove otherwise. In every window, as well as in her personal artwork, her talent is visible. Her face looks out from self portraits, and flowers commingle with leaves. She cuts along a pane of glass, taps it, and a shard falls away. And, shard by shard, she creates her art. It awaits the light.
Aleksandra Puzyn is endorsed by ArtC – promoting the arts in southern New Jersey.
www.artcnow.com
HIP4KIDS TODAY
HOSPITALITY PROFESSIONALS FOR KIDS
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Healthy Dining has to Begin Sometime
njlifestyleonline.com LIFESTYLE | Spring 2012 21
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