As a child I sat at the kitchen table drawing with crayons while my mother cooked dinner. I lost myself in the activity of drawing. It was my first experience of the infinite.

In school I loved making things—scratchboard drawings with black crayon over colored boards, linoleum block Christmas cards, clay figurines glazed in garish colors. At home I continued to draw, and found opportunities to express my creativity in other activities like making gingerbread houses and planting a garden. As an adult I continue to find much joy in the act of creation. Whether I am making a glass plate or painting I am the alchemist, turning raw materials into beautiful and provocative objects. I am deeply moved by beauty and need it around me for my well-being; it is a pleasure and a necessity.