Hello, I'm Jolene Jankowski
I’ve always been a little bit artsy, but it wasn’t until after retiring that I finally had the chance to explore creativity in a deeper way. From painting and quilting to discovering glass art on a Florida vacation, each step brought me closer to the medium that feels like home- taking what’s broken and turning it into something beautiful.
My Story
I’ve always been a little bit “artsy.”
But between raising kids, grandkids, and working 50–60 hour weeks, there wasn’t much time to truly explore art. Over the years I dabbled in crafts, and after retiring, I finally started taking classes.
At first, I thought painting might be my calling. I enjoyed it, but after a while I realized there’s only so much wall space for canvases. I experimented with dot painting, which was beautiful but required so much concentration it stopped being fun. Quilting was next. I made quilts for all of my grandchildren, which brought me joy, but eventually I ran out of beds to cover.
Then came a vacation in Florida that changed everything. While walking with my sister-in-law, we wandered into a glass art shop, only to discover they also offered classes. We signed up, had an amazing time, and came back the next day to pick up our pieces. The staff was excited to show us a project they’d all been talking about… and it turned out to be mine! That moment sparked something in me: maybe this was the art form I had been searching for.
Back home, I began building an inventory — collecting glass from garage sales, estate sales, and friends. Soon my daughters joined in: one day we smashed glass together, laughing and feeling powerful as we sorted the shards by color; another day, my youngest daughter helped me set up a Facebook page. Before long, I was renting studio space from another artist and teaching classes.
At first, classes were my focus. But when rent started to outweigh what I earned, I moved everything back home and reimagined what I wanted to create. That’s when I began making my own glass art pieces, finding joy in shaping each work by hand and sharing them with others.
Today, my journey is about more than just classes or craft fairs — it’s about taking what’s broken and turning it into something beautiful, meaningful, and lasting.
