July Featured MCA Member: Kaela Brennan
MCA Member and Shop Maine Craft team member Kaela Brennan is a Central Maine based stained glass artist specializing in nature inspired flora and fauna and pet portraits filled with personality. Kaela shares a home-studio and homestead in Mount Vernon with her partner, fellow MCA Member Jon Railo. Raised by Maine ceramic artist and educator Kimberly Bentley in the Kennebec Valley, Kaela has experimented with many different mediums and incorporates her love of nature and wildlife into her work.
At a young age, Kaela took up photography after inheriting a camera from her grandfather. She found her chosen media of glasswork after her partner showed her the ropes of glassblowing and lampworking. She often captures beautiful images in the world around her with her camera and then recreates them in a rainbow of vibrant glass.
Passionate about self-sustainability and homesteading, Kaela spends her free time learning to work with the land, growing and harvesting her own food, and exploring the great outdoors with her three dogs.
Q & A with Kaela Brennan
Q: What’s a different media that you wish you knew more about?
A: Metal work.
Q: Who are some of your greatest mentors and influences?
A: My mother, and my boyfriend Jon. My mom is a ceramics artist and art teacher so I grew up surrounded by art; and I wouldn’t be a glass artist without my boyfriend Jon who introduced me to glassblowing back in 2020. My interest in stained glass was sparked about a year later.
Q: Where do you look for inspiration?
A: Nature has always been my inspiration.
Q: What is your dream project?
A: I would love to replace the interior windows in our house with original stained glass panels from salvaged church windows.
Q: What’s the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?
A: Invest in yourself.
View Kaela’s glasswork and learn more about her process by following her on Instagram: @luna_glasss
Contact our Membership Coordinator: suzzanne@mainecrafts.org for your chance to be featured!