Who hasn't, at one time or another, looked with wonder through the eyepiece of a kaleidoscope and taken pleasure in the seemingly endless patterns of color that change with the turn of the tube? While everyone who's ever owned a kaleidoscope probably associates them with delight, Peters artist Marcia Clark says they're a lot more than just devices of entertainment.

"Kaleidoscopes relieve stress, stimulate creativity by engaging both right and left brain hemispheres and even create healing," said Ms. Clark, during an interview at the Artists' Co-op in Washington, where about 30 of her exquisite creations in glass and metal intended for the high-end gift and collectable market are on display and for sale.

And if you hurry, one of these whimsical creations could be the answer to that very, very last-minute gift you need to round out your Christmas shopping. The co-op is open until 4 p.m. today.

Many can attest to the kaleidoscope's ability to help us relax because of the cool pastel colors they generate, but Ms. Clark's belief in their healing power got her an invitation to write a chapter in Dr. Hirotomo Ochi's book "Healing and Kaleidoscopes," published in Japan in 2002.

In the book, she cites the positive influences kaleidoscopes have had on everyone from autistic children to cancer patients and college students stressed out at exam time.

One of about 60 working kaleidoscope artists in the United States, Ms. Clark got started in her chosen artistic endeavor in 1998 while doing some holiday shopping at Sam's Club, where she found a kaleidoscope kit.

Remembering the joy as a 4-year-old when an aunt bought her a simple kaleidoscope made of red cardboard, she decided to get one of the kits for her daughter, Debbie, and another for herself. They proved the inspiration that launched her now-passionate interest in making her particular style of instruments, known for their elegant designs and intricate images.

To learn more about what she and many patrons consider an art form, she went online looking for suppliers and found Scott Cole, a kaleidoscope artist and owner of the Laughing Eye Gallery in Charlotte, N.C. After contacting Mr. Cole, she discovered he was teaching a weeklong class at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, N.C., in February 1999 and decided to attend.

"At the beginning of the sessions, I fell asleep at night with visions of stained glass windows revolving in my mind," she said.

Later in the week when she sheepishly told Mr. Cole she had a master's degree in public management from Carnegie Mellon University, and was now thinking of making kaleidoscopes, "he replied that he had a Ph.D. in psychology and was already making kaleidoscopes."

Back home in Western Pennsylvania, Ms. Clark started to put a studio together on a single table in a room in her home in Peters. Since then, the studio has expanded through the entire house, although the dirty work with the band saw and buffers is confined to the garage.

Her regard by her patrons and peers in the field has grown considerably in a short period of time. In 2005, a limited edition, hand-forged copper kaleidoscope titled "Dance -- Series II" won a Niche Award, given annually to North American artists working in a variety of media by "Niche Magazine."

One of her most important contacts found while searching the Internet for information on her art form turned out to be Cozy Baker, the founder and president emerita of the Brewster Kaleidoscope Society and the owner of the world's largest kaleidoscope collection, which numbers in the thousands.

"Although Marcia Clark has only been making kaleidoscopes since 1999, the quality of her work ranks right up there with the world's leading artists," said Ms. Baker commenting from her home in Bethesda, Md. "At the grand opening of a new scopes-only shop in Atlanta recently, where the varied and outstanding work of over 100 artists is available, the first sale was two of Marcia's kaleidoscopes. That really impressed me."

While Ms. Clark still works as a consultant to non-profit organizations, advising on everything from board and fund development to program formation, and as a motivational speaker best known for her talk titled "Dare to Dream," she still finds time to make about 250 kaleidoscopes a year. This includes customized designs that embrace the engraving of portraiture and scenes, even Old Master paintings, on the surface of the tubes.

"When I make each kaleidoscope, I think in terms of an heirloom that will last," she said.