Ms. Hansmann, a Bullmastiff dog breeder, and owner of six horses, is an artist who is able to take the beauty of these creatures and capture it in beautiful art forms for all to admire.

"I totally love horses - I couldn't be without," the proprietor said.

Though she began her art career with ink drawings, and has dabbled in water colour, her real passion is stained glass.

"I'm sort of a self-starter," Ms. Hansmann said of her decision to learn the art of stained glass. "I was taught how to do it and from then on I was hooked.

"I wanted every window filled with stained glass and I think I'm almost there," Ms. Hansmann said as she surveyed her work with contentment. Unlike other art forms that may put mental stress on the artist, working with stained glass also puts physical stress on the artist.

"It's not as easy as it looks. I wish it was sometimes easier," she said with a laugh. "It's a lot of work and I have no feeling in my finger tips." Working with glass and grinding the pieces requires the artist's hands to be calloused and Ms. Hansmann said though she took a break from stained glass, since she has come back full force, her hands have already developed callouses from the grinding and constant handling of glass.

During her 15 year tenure working with glass, Ms. Hansmann has created hundreds and hundreds of pieces. Though she primarily produces horse and dog pieces, she does an abundance of custom work which leads her to a wide variety of subjects.

"Basically I'll do anything once."

The difficulty is that even the simplest pieces can become difficult when formed with glass. It is the small, and sometimes tedious task of tiny details that can make her job painstaking.

Ms. Hansmann said the pattern (which she designs herself, usually from photos) is the most important aspect of the final piece. Individuals think they can decide on a pattern and they will end up with a magnificent glass piece. But there's a lot more to consider.

"You've got lots of textures and types (of glass)," she said "And you have to be careful with cutlines."

Each slate of glass is different and may require different handling, but the process Ms. Hansmann follows is always the same.

The stained glass art is created using copper foil. Ms. Hansmann said she starts by designing a pattern then makes her cuts and grinds the glass. She then uses copper foil and a saudering iron to weld the pieces together. "It's basically like a puzzle."

Like any other hobby or art form, anyone can learn the steps but it takes talent to succeed.

With the holiday season upon us Ms. Hansmann is already hard at work. She is debating on setting up a booth at the Sportsman Show and hopes to be involved with the 2002 Milton Studio Tour.

"I love doing it (stained glass)," Ms. Hansmann said. "I find it's a lot of fun."

Ms. Hansmann is excited about the time she has now devoted to her craft and is eager to get requests. Anyone wishing to purchase Ms. Hansmann's work, order a custom piece or get more information can call The Glass Menagerie in Moffat at 519-822-4329.