As the year 2025 has begun, it’s a moment to reflect on the artists who created interesting works in 2024. One such artist is Janet Adventure Sather, who brings an unconventional twist to abstract sculpture. Based in Milwaukee, Janet has been turning heads with her unique medium: conductive light fiber optic stranded sugar. This delicate and luminous material allows her to craft 2- and 3-dimensional sculptures that go beyond mere visuals, capturing the unseen energy and auras of her subjects.
Janet’s gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, offers a window into this fascinating interplay of light, form, and emotion. Her path to becoming an artist was far from typical. After years in business, education, philanthropy, and even working as a private chef, she believed her creative skills were modest at best. However, a spiritual nudge led her to explore kitchen chemistry, where she discovered the unique properties of her chosen medium. At 57, Janet fully embraced her passion, crafting sculptures that challenge perceptions and illuminate what often remains unseen.
Her creative process is just as captivating as her finished works. Working with light and sugar, she brings each piece to life with a vibrant energy that reflects her subjects’ inner worlds. Janet’s sculptures are more than objects—they are stories made visible, emotions made tangible.
One of her more memorable projects is a series called “The Twins,” an exploration of the deep bond shared by four-year-old identical twins. Starting from a single cell that later split into two, these siblings share a unique connection, which Janet captured beautifully. Using her signature medium, she crafted glowing sculptures that shimmer with bright, charged energy, perfectly reflecting the twins’ lively auras.
“It was such a fun project for me,” Janet recalls. “Their auras were incredibly vibrant, almost electrically charged—just what you’d expect from young kids full of energy and curiosity.”
The project began with a single sculpture symbolizing their shared origin and evolved into two distinct but interconnected forms. Each sculpture highlights both their unity and their individuality, showcasing Janet’s ability to translate unseen energies into visual art.
Not all of her work stems from joyful stories. Some projects delve into themes of pain, loss, and healing. One such series is “Bryce’s Crossing,” which tells the story of a young man named Bryce, who tragically took his own life. The first piece in this series reflects his inner turmoil, depicted through swirling, chaotic forms of dark and light.
“That first piece felt heavy,” Janet says. “Every strand of sugar seemed to carry the weight of his struggles.”
But Janet’s process didn’t end there. Within hours of completing the first sculpture, she felt a profound urge to create a second piece. Using the same materials, she crafted “Bryce’s Crossing (II),” which radiated light and peace, showing a clear transition from turmoil to tranquility.
“It was clear to me that his spirit had crossed into the light,” Janet explains. “The transformation from one sculpture to the next wasn’t something I planned—it just happened. It was like witnessing a spiritual transition in real-time.”
For Janet, this project is a powerful reminder of the duality in human experience—the darkness we face and the light we seek. It underscores her belief in art’s ability to heal and bring solace, even in the face of tragedy.
Working with conductive light fiber optic stranded sugar might seem unusual, but it’s the perfect medium for Janet’s work. The strands shimmer, twist, and glow, creating an effect that captures the imagination and evokes curiosity. For Janet, the material itself carries meaning.
“It’s fragile but resilient,” she says. “It can bend and twist, just like human emotions and energy. It’s a perfect metaphor for the human experience.”
Janet’s background in kitchen chemistry, spirituality, and an ongoing curiosity about human energy all come together in her sculptures. Each piece becomes a snapshot of the unseen, captured in strands of light and sugar.
“Every sculpture is its own adventure,” she says with a warm smile. “Whether I’m exploring the joyful energy of twins or the peace of a spirit crossing over, my goal is always to bring light into the world—both literally and metaphorically.”
Visitors to Janet Adventure Sather’s gallery in Milwaukee can immerse themselves in her luminous works, each one a journey into unseen realms. Her sculptures invite people to see beyond the physical and consider the energies that connect and shape us all. Through her art, Janet turns intangible experiences into something you can see, touch, and feel—a true reflection of life’s hidden stories made visible.
