John McGarvey A good painting, which arrived promptly and was as described in the listing.
Testimony
Testimony Loretta Schwartz Nobel Journalist - Author
It was 2009. I had recently moved to Ecuador and decided to visit the gallery of a Romanian artist named Liza Wheeler who many of the Americans I met were talking about. I found myself in a studio filled with many beautiful Byzantine style glass icons. I was instantly struck by one called "Seven Tears" composed of more than 13,000 individual small pieces of shimmering glass, with seven clear glass tears rolling down the Madonna's cheeks. For me, the work immediately became a symbol of compassion, love, sorrow and beauty. Seeing how deeply it moved me, my husband decided to buy it. When I returned to America with my icon and Liza Wheeler moved to Spain, I felt that I carried with me a piece of an artist's spirit. For the next eight years, I treasured it and often regretted that I did not have more of her work. Recently a devout Catholic woman, who had tragically lost her son, came to my house and saw Seven Tears hanging above my fireplace. She looked at it for a long time then said softly, "This is a masterpiece." I think she was right. Liza and I kept in touch over the years, but at that moment I knew that I needed to contact her and ask if she could create a work specifically for me. Children have always been a large part of my life; for years I longed to have a glass mosaic of a mother and child. Within about six weeks, for an affordable price, Liza was able to create a magnificent piece, fulfilling my longings, once again composed of thousands of tiny pieces of colored glass that captured the love, hope, and tenderness not only of the Madonna but of every loving and compassionate young mother. Liza was even able to share with me the technical process of creation by email, sending photographs from the coloring and cutting of the glass to the amazing finished product.
Trained by European masters in a mosaic art form that dates back to the antiquities of the second half of the third millennium BCE, I believe that Liza has developed a talent that surpasses her own understanding. Her elegant "Mother and Child" icon now hangs in my home beside her "Seven Tears" mosaic icon. They are sources of great pride, inspiration, and solace. Her Byzantine style sacred glass art has turned my ordinary home into a spiritual sanctuary where I feel a presence beyond time or understanding. Please, feel free to contact me at anytime with any questions you may have.