Artist Profile: Bronwen Heilman – Ghost Cow

A woman of many talents. Glass…music…metal…mom…creative dynamo! Her glass work is an inspiration to so many. And with good reason. It rocks!!! So allow me to introduce you some of the many facets of her glass work, with using bottle glass as her newest adventure. Check out the tikis…so cool. I have a tiki collection so I have a sweet spot in my heart for tikis. And these are made with bottle glass. So cool. Wait, I said that already. But it’s so true. Recycled glass…go Bronwen! And eco friendly! Check out her web site www.ghostcow.com. You can find out more about Bronwen, her glass, shows and of course her band, Ghost Cow. I’ve seen them play and they rock too!

Bronwen is based in Tucson, AZ, but does make her way around for shows and classes. Her next class is at Blue Moon in Austin. She’s going to teach you about enamels. Check out this other piece…

This is made in multiple stages with glass painting and fusing. Just awesome. Can I gush about her work enough? It’s just that it’s so unique and cutting edge. And the beads she makes with this painting technique and then doing roll-ups are amazing! Needless to say, if you get the chance to check out her work or one of her classes you really need to. And her band too! One last piece of hers here to swoon over. From her beach glass series. Simple beauty.

As if Diwali weren’t colorful and fun enough, The Festival of Lights: A Lift-the-flap Diwali Celebration by Namita Moolani Mehra, illustrated by Darshika Varm, makes it even more fun to read about with flaps and things to lift and pull to see more information or details in the illustrations.

The book is a story about a family getting ready for Diwali and what happens on the different days of the five-day celebration. There’s cleaning, shopping, crafting, food preparation and getting the home altar ready for the big day.

It covers decorating the outside of the house with rangoli, diyas and lanterns, buying sweets to share with family and friends, the sights and scents of the mandir (home temple), getting dressed up in new fancy clothes, the story of Diwali and celebrations with relatives.

Flaps (there are more than 140 in all) give you vocabulary words for different foods and definitions, as well as fun things like what’s inside the shopping basket or where the cat is hanging out. They also help illuminate the story of Diwali, which is the triumph of good over evil as Lord Ram defeated the demon Ravana to save his wife, Sita.

This pretty and colorful book helps kids understand what Diwali is and how it is celebrated, regardless of whether they practice it at home. This would be a nice book to keep in a classroom (it’s rated for kids ages 3-7) or to have at home to teach kids about Diwali even if it’s not something you celebrate. Where I live there are a lot of people from India so we are probably exposed to Diwali more than some other regions of America, but it’s a nice holiday to know about wherever you live.

Combine with the book Diwali and check out some fun lantern crafts and printables for kids to round out your experience.

About the book: 24 pages, hardcover, published 2025 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail prices $22.99.

Have you read?