THE GIFT OF ART

It all began with a painting of Saint William of Vercelli, an Italian who was born in the year 1085 and soon after became an orphan. His story is that he later dedicated his life to God and even healed a blind man.

This painting, depicting Saint William with his wolf assistant, was gifted four years ago to Saint William Catholic Church in Thompson Falls from Kathy Altman, a Thompson Falls resident, who moved from New Jersey to the area just over five years ago. Little did she know at this time that her artistic talents would become a hallmark attribute in the church.

"It all started with a painting," Rev. Jeffery Benusa shared with admiration. "Then Kathy said, 'Why not do some stained-glass panels for the windows?'"

Her timing was perfect. The church was planning to replace the original windows which had gaps and even a bullet hole. According to Benusa, the new windows are less drafty and allows more natural light to enter the nave. To liven things up, Altman decided to incorporate a dozen stain glass panels depicting different Biblical stories and adding a personal touch from congregant members at the same time.

Currently 10 of the dozen panels are complete. Altman shared that congregation members request, through a donation, a panel in memory of a loved one. Altman then visits with the requestor to learn more about what they would like the panel to represent. It becomes her job to honor this request by creating a scene representative of the memory the member wants to portray.

"Each one tells a different story," Altman shared of the pieces. One member wanted to honor his brother who was a soldier Missing in Action (MIA). Altman fulfilled his request by creating a panel highlighting Jesus praying in the foreground with the American and Prisoner of War (POW) MIA flags flying in the background.

"Everyone has been very pleased with the panels," Benusa shared. "This has been a significant addition to the parish and more people want panels. Somehow, she has just been able to do it all."

It takes at least one month to complete a panel, although Altman shared that more challenging scenes can take up to six months to complete. "They are all original designs. I draw them to size first, making two copies, one copy is cut into the pieces, one is kept for viewing," Altman began sharing the process. "I cut the glass pieces, grind them until they are smooth, and copper foil each piece." She then lays the pieces in orderly fashion like putting together a puzzle. Once she is satisfied with her placement, she solders the pieces in place and chemically patinas the solder to give it a darker coloring. Her husband then makes a wooden frame for the panel.

Altman tries to make her creations as life-like as possible. She commented that her Sea of Galilee panel had to be modified from its original version. Her sister had visited the area and commented that the mountains were not quite as tall as Altman had represented in her panel. In compliance, Altman cut down the height of the mountains, so they were more realistic.

All 12 panels will be up and shining in all their glory within the next year, according to Altman. She is currently working on panel number 11 and it will soon join the others in the church. Glenn Wilhelmsen, of Glenn's Auto Glass, helped by constructing sliding frames for the panels. The frame allows the panels to slide horizontally so window cleaning can be accomplished.

In 2000 Altman began her stained-glass career. "I needed something else to do, I needed a hobby," she shared. She had just retired after working in a bakery for 39 years, where she worked 70 hours a week. She is one of eight children, although one has passed away, in a family who inherited their artistic abilities from their mother.

"I painted since I was a kid, art is in my blood I guess." Altman recalled when her love for art began. "My mom was artistic, and it must have been from her, she passed it on."

Altman has plans of creating two larger stained-glass panels for the larger picture windows in the narthex. She wants to represent the birth and death of Jesus by creating an Easter panel and Christmas panel. She is estimating this to take some time, as the sizes will be quite a bit larger than those she has already completed.

Keeping busy is a trademark of Altman, she also creates items for sale at The Sunflower Gallery. She is excited to be wrapping up a cowboy stained-glass piece which will soon be for sale at the gallery.

Benusa stated that the original windows were a historical figure for Saint William Catholic Church, as they dated back to the first Christmas Mass held in the church in 1955. Interestingly, this is also Altman's birthday.