faith merz

the stained glass work of faith merz

By Ron Evans

Ifi rst met Faith Merz at an open mic night at RadarStation a few years back and it was immediately clear that she was a passionate and highly-creative kook. Our kind of people. It was quite a bit later on that I found out Merz was also a prolifi c artist in many visual mediums — most recently I discovered her stained glass creations. I was impressed with the work and curious about the process, so I reached out to her for a chat about that, and her history concerning making all sorts of shit.

Tell us about your history concerning making all sorts of shit.

Answering questions about yourself is always an interesting endeavor, especially when it comes to art. I’ve been making shit ever since I can remember to be quite honest. When I was a kid I would write and illustrate my own makeshift picture books. I’d paint or doodle anything I could get my hands on; fi lmmaking, writing, spoken word and competitive improv were outlets that took up most of my time.

Are you from this area?

I grew up in Southern California and moved to Wenatchee in the summer of 2018. I’ve been local to the area for almost 3 years now, give or take

What is this kind of glass work called? And how did you get into it?

The medium that I’ve been obsessed with for a while now is known as stained glass. Coupled into the same category as knitting and crocheting, the artform was pretty much seen as an older generation’s hobby. But, there’s been quite a resurgence in these older artforms where the techniques have been used to create more modern and stylized results. I think stained glass found me more than I found it because I really don’t recall a moment that I said “this is it!” 2020, like for most people, was a really turbulent and diffi cult year. I moved back to the valley in a very funky headspace and needed something to fi xate and obsess over. Stained glass was something I had virtually no experience in and the challenge to teach myself seemed like a perfect outlet.

Walk us through the process from start to fi nish. Is there a template you draw out ahead of time?

Each piece I make starts out with a design that I draw from hand, photocopy, then trace onto glass using a lightbox. I then cut the glass and grind the pieces down using a glass grinder, making sure that each piece fi ts the design (stained glass is a really exact artform). The glass pieces are then washed, the edges are lined with a copper tape foil, and a chemical called fl ux is applied to the pieces. I then use 60/40 Lead Tin solder that I heat up using a soldering iron. The solder then becomes molten, allowing me to manipulate it to where I want it to go. Once cooled it adheres each glass piece together. I then line each piece with a lead hobby came to ensure the structural integrity of the piece. Each piece is then washed again, scrubbed with steel wool, varnished, and buff ed for the most optimal outcome. The whole process is very time intensive and requires a lot of patience.

Judging from your social media posts it seems you have a bit of a focus on elements of nature for the most part. Talk about your inspirations when crafting a new piece.

Nature defi nitely inspires me when I’m designing. Natural shapes or images when they interact with light are always beautiful in my mind. I’m also incredibly inspired by 1970’s textiles and color waves as well as 1960’s psychedelic patterns. I use a lot of old vintage textile and wallpaper references to help in picking out my color choices. I keep a myriad of vintage art books that I’ve thrifted over the years to help whenever I need more inspiration.

Are you selling your work in any shops, fairs or galleries? If not, do you have anything like that planned?

Currently I am not, although I am in the process of creating an inventory for The Plant Ally in Leavenworth to display soon! The holidays are coming and I would love to establish a presence in local shops around town to create more of an interactive feel.

You also have a passion, and a great talent, for writing. Your work has been featured in The Comet several times -

do you publish any of your writings elsewhere?

Why thank you! Writing has always been something that has come very easily to me. There is a certain vulnerability in sharing poetry and written word that is hard to fi nd elsewhere. I’ve been performing spoken word for almost 10 years now and am consistently drawn to the community that it provides. Having someone come up to you to tell you how your poem touched them is a feeling that is really hard to describe. There have been times in my life that feelings I cannot convey or fully understand verbally come out whilst writing and that is pretty rad. I have poetry published in the local Whispers of Wenatchee anthology and have been featured in a collection of poems from Philosopher’s Stone Poetry based out of Mar Vista, California. I would like to one day publish my own collection of poems, my gut tells me it will happen when the time is right.

Aside from the glass work (and your writing) are there any other creative mediums you currently dabble in?

Aside from glass and poetry, I am an avid painter and love to create large abstract paintings through mixed mediums of acrylic and oil pastels. I love painting with found objects like credit cards, squeegees and used bits of metal. I also dabble in making indoor fi xtures that mimic nature, whether it be preserving wood or creating things out of clay.

Where can people follow you online? Any online shops to link to?

You can follow my stained glass on Instagram at Lady.LuckStudio, as well as on Etsy at LadyLuckCoStudio.

ARTIST STATS

Favorite artist: Hilma Af Klint & Moebius Favorite Author/Book: Charles Bukowski/ Wild by Cheryl Strayed Favorite Band: A close tie between Hiatus Kaiyote, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Aldous Harding. Favorite Movie: There Will Be Blood Dream Collaboration: None that I can think of, but if I could resurrect the dead I would love to pick at Willem De Kooning’s brain! Favorite Destination: I currently have an obsession with Montana, so let’s go with that. Favorite Quote: “If your nerve, deny you - go above your nerve.” - Emily Dickinson