Marti Hartle and Leslie Compass make mosaic artwork, teach classes at Indie House

Editor's note: The following story has been changed to correct the phone number.

Marti Hartle and Leslie Compass of Cape Girardeau have been creating mosaic artwork together since 2002 for their business, Soul Reflections Stained Glass Mosaic Creations.

“Back in the late ’90s, I took a mosaic class, and I did a couple pieces, but then when Marti and I became friends, I was going to show her how to do stained glass. I had all the tools and everything, and she came over and we just started doing mosaics instead,” Compass said.

“We got a little sidetracked,” Hartle said, laughing.

At first, the crafting simply was an opportunity for the friends to spend time together.

Leslie Compass, left, and Marti Hartle, owners of Soul Reflections Stained Glass Mosaic Creations, pose for a photo inside Free Spirit Studio at the Indie House in Cape Girardeau.Laura Simon

“[It was] kind of a way to hang out as friends and, you know, for me to learn another hobby. I like to do it all. I’ve dabbled in paint and just a little bit of everything,” Hartle said. “I’ve wanted to be an artist since I was a little girl, so learning another medium was high on the list.”

They started to meet on Sunday or Monday nights each week to create new pieces and eventually decided to start the business together.

The pair did their first art show in 2004 at the Bonnie Bank Artisan’s Guild (now the Pie Safe) in Pocahontas.

“Then we joined the Cat Ranch Art Guild, another really small art guild, and we were just kind of dipping our toe in the pond, I think. If [shows] were small and the entry fees weren’t too big, because we were like, ‘If we don’t sell anything, then we’re not out money.’ But it was kind of silly because we always sold; we always sold things,” Hartle said.

They started to participate in larger shows at the Osage Centre and elsewhere and began to sell more and more of their creations.

“I think that was when we really realized, ‘I think we’re onto something; I think we can do this. I think we can continue to make and sell,’” Hartle said.

Compass and Hartle said they began to make and sell pieces such as wine chillers and pitchers for wineries around the area.

“A lot of our wineries still have a lot of our pieces, so that’s kind of cool,” Compass said.

Hartle said people typically don’t realize she and Compass cut every piece of glass that goes into their pieces. So when they began doing the craft and art shows, they would display their techniques and work on pieces during the show to demonstrate to buyers how the process works.

“It really created a lot of interest because people love to see us in action. ... When they’re seeing it separated from the base, it’s like, ‘Oh, that’s not what I expected,’” Hartle said.

In 2010, they opened their own art gallery called Mozaic inside Bilderbach’s Art Plaza on Main Street in Cape Girardeau.

“It was great being able to show our pieces and not have to pack them up for shows and risk damage and all of that,” Hartle said.

They eventually closed in July 2015. Hartle had her mind set on finding a new space that could accommodate a classroom and help create a more relaxed atmosphere for customers and students.

That desire became a reality when Laurie Everett of Annie Laurie’s Antiques opened the Indie House, which features independent businesses and services, catty-corner from her original store in downtown Cape Girardeau. Hartle decided to open Free Spirit Studio, which had its grand opening Feb. 5, on the first floor of the house. She sells pieces from Soul Reflections as well as artwork and jewelry from local artists.

When it comes to making new pieces, Compass and Hartle described the creative process as “evolving,” noting some pieces come together exactly as they envision them, while others sometimes tend to take on a life of their own.

“I like when you’re kind of in that moment of getting the idea, and the inspiration is kind of coming to you of just kind of reaching and pulling glass and putting the glass together and seeing what goes together and what colors you want to use together and kind of piecing it all out. But I think once it really starts coming together, too, as a piece is when you get excited,” Compass said.

They said sometimes a particular piece speaks to them, as if it were meant for a certain look or design.

“It’s exciting, too, when it’s just so covered in grout ... but when you do that wipe and you see all the color coming through and you see your piece shining and just almost completion, that’s really cool,” Hartle said.

The pair said inspiration for pieces comes from “everywhere.”

“Truly everywhere,” Hartle said. “It can be photographs in a magazine; sometimes it’s just a color combination.”

“Sometimes it’s just a doodle,” Compass added. “And sometimes it’s just the piece itself ... or just the size of the piece.”

The glass itself seems to come from everywhere, too.

Compass and Hartle said they both have stockpiles of glass, which they’ve accumulated over the years. The duo doesn’t discriminate when it comes to the source of glass, gaining new pieces often from donations, Hobby Lobby, online and elsewhere.

“It’s good therapy — it really is, you know, if you’re having a bad day. ... I just get engrossed in the project, and I get totally lost in it. Before you know it, five hours has gone by, and sometimes it’s more than five hours, and your day is just gone; it’s like, ‘Where did the sun go and what happened?’” Hartle said with a laugh.

Classes are held at the shop every Thursday, and give community members the opportunity to come in and try their hand at cutting glass and designing their own original piece.

“It’s really fun with the classes to see the same enthusiasm we had so many years ago — and I still have the same enthusiasm — but it’s neat to see people [realize], ‘Oh, my gosh, I can do this,’” Hartle said.

To reserve a seat for an upcoming class, call (573) 979-0043.

lyoung@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632

Pertinent address:

605 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.