Pat Hammond is not your ordinary artist. In fact, she doesn't even consider herself an artist. She takes everyday objects, such as spinning tops and jars of cicada shells, and infuses them with new meaning and hope. Through humor and personalization, she uses insignificant and unconventional objects to illuminate a "grand truth" about the world, and even about herself.

Author Christopher Ornelas found out about Hammond through her remarkable kite collection--hundreds of kites amassed over twenty years. Hammond's kites, which have been featured at the Smithsonian and the Modern Museum of...