Local artist Kellie Krueger was shocked when she received an email from a client wishing her congratulations on her first place showings at this year’s Calgary Stampede in the Eco Art exhibit.
“Eagle in Flight”, was originally created for her husband to be hung in their home. With an original window pane and smashed glass, her creative talent began to take form.
With shards of smashed glass consisting of beer bottles, old coke bottles from 1942-1955, milk glass, amber in a glass which was used in car tail light glass from 1947-51, provided the gold crystal look in the wings of the eagle. Surrounding glass was purchased at a stained glass store to complete her creative piece.
“I was reluctant to enter and didn’t feel I had a chance,” she told inSide Drumheller, “but couldn’t believe when my work had placed 1st in Entry, 1st in Class, and 2nd in Show.” She also collected prize money of $125.00 in Calgary Stampede Eco Art.
She finds the glass she uses from various areas, old mine sites, garbage dumps and sometimes people even leave glass on the steps of her house. She has an impressive collection of jars with shards of glass, everything from old pottery dishes to hydro insulators, and even 100 year purple glass and black amethyst glass. She takes care to learn the origins of each piece of glass she incorporates into her work.
Future plans for her? “Maybe some jewellery,” and she has been invited in November to the Resolution Gallery in Kensington (Calgary) to display what she calls a “labour of love.”
She doesn’t consider her art to be art but a form of play.
