The Beauty of Stained Glass Artwork

When most people see a piece of glass, they probably view it as the chunk of hard, clear, solid that it is. However, when any glass artist looks at a sheet of untouched colored sheet glass, they see the inherent potential it has to be transformed into a variety of beautiful pieces of art.

Stained glass can be worked into so many different forms, it sometimes astonishes me. One can make cute little suncatchers that dangle in any window. Or, full panels can be made to dazzle in the sun.

Stained glass can be worked into so many different forms, it sometimes astonishes me. One can make cute little suncatchers that dangle in any window. Or, immense panels can be made to dazzle viewers at a church or museum. If the artist really goes wild with their work, they can make fully three-dimensional pieces out of hundreds or thousands of pieces of stained glass - models that you would never believe were made from pieces of such a tough, solid material.

Hopefully, you will be learn the truly versatile nature of glass if you follow my journey here.

Sept 18:I have decided to dedicate part of this weekend to making some stained glass. My life has been a little crazy lately and I really can't wait to take this opportunity to relax. Check back here over the course of the weekend and you'll get to see any new work as I post it.

Desktop Stained Glass Betta
Made Sept 15, 2008

Desktop Stained Glass #2 Betta Splendens - "Black Dragon Plakat"
Made Sept 27, 2008

January: I've made a bunch more stained glass bettas since they've been popular around here. All variations on the same theme so I won't post them here. My next projects will be a few stained glass fish (but wild fish this time). I will likely try making either a trout or a bass next. Pictures will come as soon as they're done! Then I want to make a stained glass nursing symbol for my sister!

I learned how to make stained glass artwork rather randomly to be honest. When I was 15 or 16 years old I was watching a home-restoration show on television. The house they were renovating had a stained glass panel that was to be included in the remodel. The hosts of the show decided to do a 2 minute segment on how the glass panel was originally constructed. My mother was watching the show with me and I turned to her and mentioned I wished I could make stained glass panels myself.

Little did I know that that innocent remark would end up creating hundreds of hours of enjoyment down the line. We did a bit of research and found out a local high school offered weekly stained glass courses for adults. I signed up for the next set of classes and enjoyed every minute of it. I'll never forget what it was like the first time I 'scored' a piece of clear 3mm glass and was able to break it with my hands in the shape I desired. I was instantly hooked! Over the next 8 to 10 weeks, the whole class learned to score, cut, grind pieces to final shape, wrap with copper foil, solder, and clean a small, free-form stained glass suncatcher.

The first piece of stained glass art I ever made was a suncatcher - a bright red, yellow, and blue parrot! Unfortunately, I lost that piece of artwork in a subsequent move to a new home, but I can still picture it in my head - with all it's imperfections.

One of the best aspects of stained glass is that it requires constant diligence. There are always various techniques that can be improved upon. After the first 10 weeks of the beginners stained glass course I took, I have not stopped trying to improve upon my talent. Stained glass is certainly an (art)work in progress ;)

A stained glass artist can find inspiration anywhere they look. My favorite place to gather ideas for stained glass is nature. As you might have noticed, most of my art glass pieces are of animals, fish, and such. Some of my favorite pieces to do are Betta fish because they have flowing fins and an unlimited variety of color options to work with.

In the past, I have had periods where I preferred to make 'art deco' panels. I would literally just have a go at a pattern from scratch. If I didn't like what some quick doodling would turn up, I would start over. Once I had a basic pattern down, I would still use my imagination to come up with ways to make a pattern better (in terms of creativity, and integrity of the overall piece). Inspiration does not always have to come from outside your own mind!

Update: I think some recent inspiration is coming from my neice and nephews. My latest project is a small one, but almost done. As soon as I have some spare time from my education, I will be soldering together a stained glass picture frame as a much belated present for my nephew's first birthday. It's a simple design, but I like it. It's the basic frame, done in glass matching his bedroom colours. Then there will be his initials coming out of the top frame (sitting on the frame's glass). I'm looking forward to the final project, and I'll post it here :)