and then I frame it,” she said, “and it’s kind of hard to understand
because there are not too many people doing it like this, very few
that I know of in the country.”
Much of Marilyn’s work is done on commission.
“I just finished a commission for a gentleman that had seen a
hummingbird stained glass, and who was saying to himself: ‘I’ve
been mad at myself ever since I didn’t buy that glass piece!’ And my
husband, being the sweetheart that he is, said, ‘Oh, she [Marilyn]
could make it.’” She did. And when she delivered it to the man he
was clearly moved. And that, according to Marilyn, is what it’s all
about.
“To be able to fulfill something like that for
a person is a great feeling to me,” she said. “It’s
something that he couldn’t do but he wanted it.
It’s a lot more about that than the money or the
awards. That’s my reward.” [Of course Marilyn
has won awards and ribbons and the like; she’s
just not keen on “keeping up with them” or list-
ing them.]
Making art, Marilyn believes, helps keep the
“juices” flowing, stimulates the old gray matter
that determines so much of how we feel and
age.
“Every piece is a challenge, every piece,”
she said. “As long as I have been doing this,
it’s [still] a challenge. And you’re never going
to grow if you aren’t challenged.” Speaking of
aging, she said, “If you give into it, you lose so
much. I’m a firm believer in staying active. My
husband will be 86 next week and we still put
in a full day everyday; and I think it’s just the
way to stay healthy.”
In addition to her commission work, most of
which comes to her via word-of-mouth referrals
[gleefully, she has no website], Marilyn said
she also does “whatever comes into my head.”
Her glass work is lovely, crafted to catch
light she uses to make both vibrant and muted
colors, some of which play with pearlescence
Our goal is to serve every family as if they are a part of our own.
90
Family Owned and Operated
Funeral Directors:
Jim Christen • Melody Turner • James R. Plowman • Caitlin Martinez
Misty Plowman Engel Apprentice Funeral Director
913 N. Elm St., Weatherford TX 76086 • 817-594-2747 | 4941 I-20 Frontage Road
Willow Park, TX 76087 • 800-593-2747