A local artist who formed an unlikely connection with a mountain thousands of kilometres away is hoping to contribute to the region that was again rocked by a fatal earthquake.
Jeannette Spencer has put her piece Everest Reborn up for sale, with the goal of donating 100 per cent of the proceeds to Nepal earthquake relief. More than 8,000 people were killed when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake shook the country on April 25 and so far another few dozen have perished when a second 7.3-magnitude quake hit Tuesday morning.
The stained glass creation was crafted in January 2014 as a potential submission for a local art show.
"All of a sudden Everest came to mind. I don't know why, I knew nothing about Everest," Spencer said. "I'm never going to climb Everest - I'm afraid of heights."
To create the 25-inch by 25-inch piece, Spencer immersed herself in research about the mountain and region and the finished product titled Elements of Everest - unknowingly - depicted the Nepal side of Everest.
When the work wasn't accepted into the show, Spencer tucked it away in her basement. It wasn't until mid-April when she saw headlines about a deadly Mount Everest avalanche that Spencer was reminded of her own bit of the mountain.
"I felt compelled to go down, get the piece and bring it back upstairs," she said. Spencer carefully set it across the room where light could shine through the glass.
"I wanted to see if I could recognize what I had done with what was being broadcast."
And as she was watching news of the tragedy that took the lives of six Nepalese Everest sherpa guides, the unthinkable happened - the stained glass Everest slid from its resting place and toppled to the floor.
"It was a shock and awe moment," Spencer said, of the uncanny timing and fact her work lay shattered across the floor.
Her first instinct was to walk away, Spencer said, unsure if her heart was into putting in the difficult work to dismantle and rebuild the panel.
"This feeling came over me. I can either walk away or do something in honour of the sherpas who were killed," Spencer said.
"They lost their lives. They can't rebuild. I can."
By the beginning of May, the panel was recreated, entitled Everest Reborn.
That same feeling of wanting to do something came over Spencer in the aftermath of the April 25 earthquake.
She has connected with the Calgary Nepalese Community Association, for whom the donation to the Canadian Red Cross from the sale of the piece will be made on behalf. The federal government is matching any donations for Nepal earthquake relief made to the Red Cross by May 25.
For information, contact Spencer at [email protected].
