Work in progress...
I made "The Universe (Cosmic Egg), After Hildegard von Bingen" in stained glass with the support of Corinne Leroux at Awesome Sauce Designs in MakerLabs. This homage to Saint Hildegard is meant to celebrate the vulva especially in a religious context. The four central quadrants represent the four seasons as well as the menstrual cycle. From top left moving clockwise, the quadrants represent: fall/luteal, winter/period, spring/follicular, and summer/ovulation. This stained glass work is part of a larger project I'm working on, "Sapphic Sanctuary," in which I am researching various queer-feminist saints such as Hildegard, who has been credited as the first person to publish on the female orgasm, she was a gynecologist, and a polymath composer with numerous talents.
I mapped out some concept art and collaborated on a cartoon with Corinne Leroux for my stained glass before I entered the studio. Then, once at the studio, I was able to sort through coloured glass until I found ones that expressed my ideas around menstruation, sexuality, and cosmic power with the most beauty and clarity. For me, this work is about the divine feminine. It is a celebration of the vulva, birth, pleasure, and the complexity of life.
This leaf is my first attempt at stained glass with Corinne Leroux at Awesome Sauce Designs in Decemeber 2024.