Tanya and her husband made Fort Collins their happy retirement home. They love being near the mountains and their daughter, who’s in Denver.  Since retiring from academia, Tanya enjoys volunteering in the community, being active, traveling, leading tours, and challenging her creative side. While leading a study abroad class in Italy, she encouraged her students to really be present through drawing, and personally was hooked. Ten years ago, a friend taught her how to mosaic and in 2020, she did her first large mosaic, a Tuscan countryside in her home.  Many of her projects are traditional grouted mosaic pieces, but her most recent venture is hand cut glass, representing the wildflowers of Colorado. Some pieces are table-top frames and others are mounted on boxes, mirrors, or other interesting objects. She is also having some fun creating acrostic poems and incorporating them into her art.