The ornaments on the Christmas tree in Becky Wanamaker’s Land O’ Lakes home are like tiny snapshots of the family’s life.
“Everything on there is significant — has a story, or represents a memory,” she said.
“They’re either passed down from the family, they’re something I made as a kid, got on a trip or was given as a gift,” Wanamaker said.
“You see the Snoopy one up at the top?
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
“That thing has traveled multiple states. Somebody made it for him (her husband Wayne), when he was a couple of years old.
“All of these faded ones here are his grandparents’ ornaments.
“This is an ornament he made with his grandmother, when he was a kid,” she said.
There’s one ornament — that Wanamaker’s mom made for her — that dates back to the 1970s.
There are decorations that Wanamaker made for her children, Ewan, Ridley and Amelie, too.
“This star with Ewan’s name on it is something I made with him when he was probably about a year old. This one is my daughter’s. She was about a year old. It has her picture on it.
Other ornaments remind the family of events from their lives, or places they’ve been.
She hopes the ornaments she now creates as an artist will become a keepsake for the people who purchase or receive them.
“I look at these ornaments as treasures they can pass down, from generation to generation,” she said, of the 4-inch glass orbs that she transforms into works of art.
“I am what I call a fluid, abstract artist,” she said. ““I do fluid abstract art paintings, using inks and pigments and resin. The ornaments are one facet of what I do.”
She applies inks to the interior of the glass ball, then uses pressurized air to direct the flow of the ink. She often applies several layers of color.
The result is a unique, hand-crafted ornament.
“No two are exactly alike.
“I might use the same colors,” she said.
But, she added, “because of the way I do them, I can’t make duplicates.
“I can make them look like they belong together, as a set, but they’re all different from one another,” Wanamaker said.
The ornaments range from $15 to $20 each, with discounts available for orders of three or more.
Wanamaker enjoys creating the ornaments and can personalize them to suit the customer’s needs.
“If you want a message or a name or a date, I’ll do that. I’ve done ornaments for marriages.
“I’ve done ornaments for a child’s first Christmas. I’ve done ornaments in memory of someone who has passed. I’ve done ornaments for people’s dogs,” she said.
Some people want ornaments representing a specific team’s colors. Others want to say: “Merry Christmas from the Sunshine State,” she said.
“Ornaments can signify so many things,” the Land O’ Lakes woman said.
Indeed, on one level, the fact is these ornaments reflect a significant change in the direction of Wanamaker’s life.
She had been working a freelance graphic designer when she was involved in a car accident two years ago, in November. Two days later her house was robbed. Her computer was stolen, and her house was ransacked.
“Those two things, back to back, just kind of put everything into a tailspin for me. So, I took a job managing an office, doing nothing creative because I just didn’t have it in me,” she said.
But, around October of last year, she felt the urge to do something artistic, she said.
“I came across these inks. They’re called alcohol inks. I started on paper, then I experimented with it on glass faces.
“I was at Michael’s one day and they had these glass ornaments, and I thought, ‘You know, those would probably be cool to do for Christmas.’ I was just doing it for myself.
“I shared what I created on Facebook, and before I knew it, I had people who wanted to buy the ornaments and the vases, and what not.
“Fast-forward a year, I left my job at the company, and I am pursuing a full-time career as an artist,” she said.
Most of her customers come from social media or word-of-mouth, she said. She also sells at art shows and festivals, and in a gallery in Ybor City.
Next year, she’d like to branch out to teach some classes.
As she creates her art, she wants to keep it affordable.
“I need to make money on it, but I don’t need to make a killing on it,” she said. Plus, she added, “I’m still an emerging artist.”
When she reflects upon the accident and the recent changes in her life, she thinks they were meant to be.
“I think everything happens for a reason,” Wanamaker said.
The car accident left her with back injuries, she said, which she expects to deal with for the rest of her life. But she said, it taught her something, too.
“You learn, after something like that happens, that the material stuff just doesn’t matter,” she said.
“I think everything is a journey in life. It’s a matter of how you look at it,” Wanamaker said.
“I always wanted to be an artist. I just didn’t think I could make a living on it,” she said.
Besides giving her a chance to express her creativity, Wanamaker said her work has other, intangible rewards.
She gets to play a role in helping others to create memories, and, she said: “I know in the end, it’s going to make somebody happy.”
It is too late for ornament orders for this Christmas, but Wanamaker accepts orders all year. So, if you’d like to order some ornaments or want to know more about Wanamaker’s work, you can email her at .
Published December 21, 2016
