Green Janie!

She is one of my heros! Out to save our planet from junk, literally! She will recycle and reuse and best of all creates awesome works of art from items we would think to discard. A fellow Bad Cat Creations artist that I have had the honor to get to know!


Please read about Green Janie!

I am Jane Marks-Hastig aka “green janie”

I was born in Cheyenne WY but moved to St Paul Minnesota when I was very little. I have lived in beautiful Bemidji MN for about 25 years.

I love being outdoors – camping, fishing and have recently started- slowly -running. I also love to read and spend time with my family and friends. I care a great deal about our environment and the world we are leaving to future generations.

I have always been creative and crafty but never intended to be an artist. It just sort of happened. It has opened up a whole new world for me.

I don’t do traditional mosaics. I often leave a lot of open space in my glass on glass mosaics. I use mostly salvaged materials in everything I make.

I don’t have a formal mentor but glean so much from the generous artist I have met in the past few years who share their craft and impart their wisdom.

I work with salvaged tempered glass and other glass destined for the trash like scrap plate, mirror and bottles and jars. I use a lot of UV curable adhesives and glass paint. I am having a blast experimenting with color!

I have started experiment with adding other salvages materials too.

My husband and I own a glass company. I have always loved glass – the way it plays with light, the way it is both strong and delicate at the same time – the fact that it is a cradle to cradle material that is 100% recyclable. Unfortunately there are a lot of roadblocks to glass recycling and we have a lot of waste in our industry. I started using broken tempered glass because it breaks into smooth pieces that are easy to handle. I thought I could do something pretty with it instead of sending it to the landfill where it will remain for a million years.

I have an Etsy store but really haven’t done much with it yet. It is next on my “to-do” list.

My website/blog www.greenjanie.com is currently under construction and it is going to be really cool.

The first place that ever featured my art is Bad Cat Gallery and Gifts in Bemidji and is the only place I consistently sell my work. It is such a wonderful, artist friendly, eclectic place. I don’t think I would have had the courage to keep trying artistic endeavors if it wasn’t for Bad Cat.

Every time I think I have a favorite piece I make another favorite. I love Trees an am currently obsessed with them in my work. I still love the first piece I ever made. About 3 years ago, I started painting the broken glass pieces and thought artists might like to use it. I thought I should experiment to see how best to present it to people.

I found some old frames that a clock maker had abandoned at the glass shop. I put a piece of scrap plate glass in the frame, and started making a tree from some dark tined auto glass. The green glass looks a little like leaves so I put those on too and I just loved how it turned out. I was hooked. Not only is is a rush to create cool and beautiful things out of things from the garbage – it also gives me the opportunity to talk about sustainability and taking care of the earth.

I always admired artists but never thought I would find myself in that category. This has been such a positive experience in so many ways. Now I can’t imagine my life any other way.

Written by Jane Hastings