Ladonna Idell & Jack Rutter

Paintings and Stained Glass
LADONNA  IDELL Biography A native of Oklahoma, Ladonna graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 1981. In 1991 she earned a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management and Development from Webster University, St Louis, MO. She spent over 20 years in the U.S. Air Force and was fortunate to travel many places in the world during that timeframe.  Always a “dabbler” in art, she and Jack Rutter, her husband, started seriously collaborating on unique stained glass pieces in the mid-80s. Today they have a business, A Touch of Glass, centered on original stained glass art and their stained glass works can be seen in shops in three countries.    Since retiring from the Air Force Ladonna has been participating in the Visual Arts program at Auburn Montgomery (AM), Alabama. Subsequently, she is increasingly being recognized for her work in other mediums. Her paintings and sculpture are being shown in art galleries in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama. She actively participates in competitions and shows. Some of her more recent honors include:  Best of Show in the Selma Art Guild (SAG) Summer Show 2007. Best of Category in the SAG show, 2005, and Second Place in the 3-D category in the SAG show, 2006. She won honors at the 2005 and 2006 Society of Arts and Crafts (SAC’s) Waterfront Shows, and the SAC’s 2006 and 2007 Member’s Shows and the 2006 and 2007 Students’ Shows. She was the recipient of a Merit Award at the 2006 and 2007 AUM Annual Art Competitions. She received a Merit Award at the 2007 Alabama Wildlife Federation Flora and Fauna Show. She has been accepted in the Montgomery Art Guild (MAG) Regions Bank Show in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2007. She was a finalist in the 2007 Photographer’s Forum, Best of College Photography Annual Competition. She was also accepted into the 2006 MAG Nightingale Show.  Ladonna and Jack love animals and nature, and are avid SCUBA divers. You will see that love reflected in much of their work. To see additional art by Ladonna Idell please check her website at www.atouchofglass.net or email her at ladonna@atouchofglass.net.
JACK  RUTTER Biography A native of Michigan, Jack entered the Air Force in 1960. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma in the 60s under the Airman Commissioning Program. He spent the rest of a 29 year carrier flying 9 different types of aircraft all over the world.  Jack learned he had a talent for wood working while assigned to Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam as an F-4 Pilot (it’s a long story). That was just the beginning. Then in the mid-80s he and his wife, Ladonna Idell, started doing stained glass. Later, he expended his fine wood craftsmanship to incorporate wood, and many other found objects, into stained glass works. Over the years their unique glass creations have garnered many awards and have been very well received by their patrons. Although he has personally received many awards, he is much happier just working and leaves the contest entering to Ladonna. His work has been in galleries in New York, Virginia, Alaska, Mississippi, and Vermont. His work can be seen currently at art galleries in Selma and Montgomery, Alabama.  Ladonna and Jack love animals and nature, and are avid SCUBA divers. You will see that love reflected in much of their work. To see additional art by John Rutter please check her website at www.atouchofglass.net or email her at lajac@atouchofglass.net. They can be contacted at   lajac@atouchofglass.net
Ladonna & Jack at their reception in August