rooted in those formative years in her mom’s kitchen, the name still applies to her life today. When she’s not working as the director of engineering for the Town of Pinedale, she’s working away on personal projects and commissions – only this time it’s in her own studio and kitchen.
Giant Leaf featured at Stained Glass Sundays.
More recently, Ryckman has expanded her efforts to include teaching stained glass classes for children, adults, and seniors. While she has served clients all over the nation, her heart is in teaching. “The classes are rewarding,” Ryckman said. “I love seeing people fall in love with stained glass and I enjoy seeing the students’ surprises at their accomplishments.” This past winter, Ryckman was commissioned by the Children’s Discovery Center to produce a largescale window project. Early in the project’s design, she asked the Discovery Center’s administration if the children could be involved in the process as well.
“I’m always developing my skills and stretching my art,” Ryckman said. “I never follow patterns; when I’m designing, I put the body together and then I surround it with glass I think is appropriate and pick the colors as I go. It adds time to the project, but it adds more uniqueness and character to the piece.”
“I love seeing people fall in love with stained glass and I enjoy seeing the students’ surprises at their accomplishments.”
“I could have easily made something vibrant and colorful for the school, but I was excited to get the kids involved in a process that they might not get to experience or appreciate until they are adults,” Ryckman said. “The kids are now able to tell their parents about the process and point up to the window and say that they personally contributed to the piece.”
And while her studio and kitchen may be forever be cluttered with glass shards, wine bottles, glue spills and metal, Ryckman remains focused on the future of Stained Glass Sundays.
artscapes • winter 2016
To learn more about Hayley Ryckman, visit her website at www. stainedglasssundays. com. To see the process and current projects, Stained Glass Sundays is on Instagram (@StainedGlassSundays) and Facebook. While she does sell online, Ryckman’s work is also found at the Bent and Rusty in Laramie and WyoMade in Casper. Cheyenne freelance writer Monica Miller contributed to this piece.
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