Art meets entrepreneurship for Sarasota native Bonnie Morse, who received a patent last year for her singular artistic process, creating glass and wood installations, utilizing the strengths of both media in a process combining stained glass traditions, modern mosaicking and woodworking for a new approach to all three. Spending the months following perfecting and crafting her work, Morse looks to take the next step and spread her creation across the region, and eventually the nation.

“Growing up in Sarasota, I was always exposed to the arts,” said Morse, who now splits her time between Sarasota County and Gainesville. “It’s such an art-minded community.” Still, Morse went on to study public relations and journalism, only turning her mind to her own artistic endeavors when, over a decade ago, she made fast friends with a local crafter working in stained glass. Morse felt a natural attraction to the medium, to the gem colors and the light, she said, and asked the artist for the scrap glass. Taking it home, she was struck by an odd notion. “I took a hammer to that glass and broke it into a thousand pieces,” said Morse. Taking the remnants, Morse created a mosaic on terra cotta. Something wasn’t right.

“No light came through it. It could reflect off of it, but it didn’t flow through,” said Morse, “and the functional property of stained glass is to allow light to pass through.” Her solution – scrap the terra cotta and bond her stained glass slivers directly to another pane of glass, providing stability but allowing light to pass freely. Still unsatisfied, Morse found the final component for what would become her patented style through a hunch. “I could see wood as a natural balance to the texture of the glass,” said Morse. “It blends absolutely beautifully together.”

Today, Morse begins from the wood, sketching a subject or scene onto the panel before using a saw and a drill to remove material and create a relief pattern for her glass. After sanding, staining and sealing, the panel is bonded to the matching glass panel, allowing for the passage of light Morse sought. The final step involves painstaking precision and surgical tweezers, as Morse lays out each individual sliver of glass into the relief, taking care for composition and color. It’s time-consuming, both in terms of the style’s decade-long development and its tedious nature, but to Morse that only enhances the value. It’s decidedly hers, both in style and content.

Awarded a patent for the process last September, Morse wrote the patent herself (“I know that medium better than I could ever explain it to anyone else,” she said.) in a move belying the artist’s inner business drive and acumen. Now Morse is meeting with venture capitalists and interior designers in the area in attempts to spread the medium and see what it inspires. “That’s what makes the medium exciting,” Morse said. “Glass can tell thousands of stories.” 

Pictured: "The Racer." Courtesy of: Bonnie Morse

Among the array of boutiques in St. Armands Circle lies a spot of nomadic treasures. Binjara Traders displays pieces that demand attention and share tales of travel from around the world, including bags handmade in India from antique fabrics, each of them one-of-a-kind. The spot also offers furnishings collected from across the globe. A walk through the store is a great adventure that will spark any shopper’s wanderlust.   

It's safe to say not all of us have a recipe for swordfish hidden in the family cookbook. Fortunately, Michael's on East Executive Chef Jamil Pineda has shared these instructions for those ready to take on a challenge in the kitchen. Or if you just want to try tasting the delicacy, you can find this dish on the dinner menu at the restaurant right now.

Roasted Atlantic Swordfish

Ingredients: 4 8-oz. swordfish filets, thickly cut; 2 oz. blended oil; 4 oz. roasted red bliss potatoes (recipe follows); 1 oz. caramelized onions (recipe follows); 3 oz. roasted green beans and cherry tomatoes; 1 cup caper, prosciutto and shiitake beurre blanc (recipe follows); Kosher salt; fresh black pepper;

In a sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the oil. Season swordfish with salt and pepper and immediately sear on one side until the fish is golden brown. Flip fish and finish in 350 degree oven for approximately eight minutes, until it is moist yet cooked through.

Roasted Red Bliss ingredients: 8 red bliss potatoes; 2 oz. olive oil; pinch of thyme

Slice red bliss potatoes in half lengthwise, then into thirds. Place in a mixing bowl and season with salt and pepper, dried thyme and olive oil.  Spread out on a roasting pan and cook in oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Caramelized Onions ingredients: 1 yellow onion, julienne; 1 ½ Tablespoon olive oil; pinch of brown sugar

In a pan over high heat, add the oil and onions. Sauté onions until caramelized. If the onions begin to burn, add small amounts of water to the sauté pan as the onions stick, scraping and stirring to develop color.

Blanche green beans until semi-tender. Place in ice bath. Once cooled, drain water and allow the green beans to dry thoroughly. In a sauté pan over high heat, add the green beans and cherry tomatoes. Place green beans in a mixing bowl and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Beurre Blanc ingredients: 4 oz. white wine; 1 lemon, juiced; 1 Tablespoon capers; 2 Tablespoon chopped prosciutto; 2 oz. shiitake mushrooms; 16 oz, cold butter, cut into small pieces

Place wine, lemon juice, capers, prosciutto and shitake mushrooms in a sauté pan. Simmer until almost all liquid is gone and mushrooms are soft. Add individual slices butter to saucepan, whisking it in under low heat, briskly whisking as it melts and emulsifies. Continue whisking until all the butter has emulsified. Keep warm on stove until ready to serve.

On a large round plate, place potatoes in a half circle. Place the haricot verts next to the potatoes and the swordfish filets in the circle on top of the vegetables. Top with the beurre blanc sauce. Serves four. 

Sarasota County Commissioners agreed to rename Bay Island Park after former County Commissioner Nora Patterson. The renaming honors Patterson’s eight-year contribution as Sarasota city commissioner and 16-year contribution as Sarasota county comissioner. The park is located on Siesta Key and currently undergoing a seawall replacement. Construction concludes this summer. 

Sarasota County

Elizabeth  M. Stamoulis has become an associate attorney with the law firm of Williams Parker. Ms. Stamoulis will join the firm’s intellectual property, business and real estate transactional practices. Prior to Williams Parker, Stamoulis practiced with a Global 100 law firm in New York. She was named a Presidential Scholar and received four Dartmouth College citations for academic excellence. 

Williams Parker