PIECING IT TOGETHER When Patricia Alpert retired in 2015 from her longtime position as executive director of Carpinteria Education Foundation, she pivoted her focus. “For so long, my passion was raising money for public schools,” the glass artist said, running a hand along one of her first glass creations—a mosaic of a highland cow Alpert had photographed on a trip to Scotland. “I needed to go in a different direction.” And in a different direction she went. Alpert spotted an upcoming glass mosaic workshop with mosaic artist Donna Van Hooser while on Pinterest. The workshop was geared for people with experience, but Alpert signed up anyway. Van Hooser was serious. “’You need to commit to the glass,’” Alpert recalls her saying. After that weekend, Alpert was hooked. She took photos of her friends’ animals from Facebook, turned them into colorful glass creations, and gifted them, oftentimes featuring pets that had passed. She entered the Rincon Exhibit at the Lynda Fairly Carpinteria Arts Center with a mosaic of a girl with a surfboard standing beneath palm trees. To her surprise and delight, the piece sold for $400 before the reception. Before long, she found herself in “Small Town Big Art,” a coffeetable book featuring 100 Carpinteria artists. Now, Alpert fills her time with commissions, her Breda glass cutter in hand. She cuts glass passed down from her mother, who was a stained glass artist, and uses grout from Carpinteria Valley Lumber to fill in the lines. When she finds herself stuck, she picks up the “The Artist’s Way” by Julia Cameron to keep the creativity flowing. Interested in seeing more of Alpert’s work? Visit alperts.me. -EVELYN SPENCE
LEFT, Patricia Alpert with one of her colorful creations on the mantel. SUMMER2023 33
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