To get some idea of how many leaves we’ll need for our project, we’ll place the ones we’ve made onto our full-scale pattern. This also gives us some idea of how the window will look in reflected light. Often, we will attach some of the leaves to a piece of the background glass to see how the colors look in daylight. We also use these opportunities todocument and send it to our patron.
This is our flameworking section. This menagerie comprises touches, kilns, glass warmers, inventory, hand tools, and a fire extinguisher. Often, the glass will change color when heated. Our first challenge is to find a glass that will give us subtle color changes within its range. Then, we cut 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips and categorize them into large canning jars. Standing in a workable with all the tools and equipment one needs and a wide range of colors is a satisfying way to spend time.
Making studies is an excellent way to learn and show clients what I can do. I can get by now with only showing completed work, but in my earlier years, it was impossible to produce the volume of work needed to show finished pieces. I could create an excellent study in a day. Whether selling through commissions, galleries, or shows, I always work partly within someone else’s aesthetics to sell my work. I do commission work because I work with only one or two people or a small group. Even after they have their input, I’m in charge of
Sometimes, I make my work much more complicated than it needs to be. I have met my obligation to my client. I’m nearing where I need to be to pay my cost plus myself, but I feel the need to push past it. I’ve learned something along the way, and I want to include it in this window. I rationalize this by telling myself that this is my marketing plan. By doing better work now, I can charge more for commissions in the future. It does work; it just takes a long time. I also work in an old
About half of my work over the years has been with churches, creating new windows, repairing old ones, and installing protective coverings. New stained glass windows are a challenging way to make a living. We must meet with committees, collaborate on designs, create sketches, seek approval, find and select suitable materials, and present for final approval. Designing is the most critical phase of the project. I’m working with a captive audience who will view them for generations, and it bears my name. Restoration is almost always straightforward. You replace broken glass, solder broken joints, and clean up. For the
I moved from Richmond to Bremo Bluff, VA, in 1982. My new home was a 1906 farmhouse on seven acres five miles from Fork Union, VA. I was thirty-two years old and living by myself, and I enjoyed my solitude at that point in my life. Coming from the city after closing my company, I needed a break from the stress of employees, clients, bookkeeping, taxes, and the never-ending roller coaster of life as I thought it should be. I started with visions of developing a sizeable company. After building up to five employees, I realized Management wasn’t for
When I was in the third grade, I couldn’t read my teacher’s writing on the blackboard. I would walk up the side of the room to where the front desks were, but even then I could barely make out the words. I even asked the teacher if she would write larger. Her response was,the letters were large enough. Back then, my hair was auburn, the color of pine needles. Behind me was a little redheaded girl with glasses. We both had more than our share of freckles. One day, just out of curiosity, I asked if I could look
When I was around nine, I wanted to be a farmer. My parents “gave” me a section of our suburban backyard to create my own littlesanctuary where I raised rabbits, pheasants, bantams and a few ducks. I learned that the Dept. of Agriculture had phablets on just about every facet of farming. Most were free, a few in the five to ten cents range and one was twenty cents. I had stacks, all around my bedroom. For several years I lived vicariously, pouring over the pages and absorbing the photographs. I loved the freedom to follow my imagination. I
When I was 15, I worked after school and during the summers for Eddie Jones. Eddie was about 40 years older than me. He was a sheet metal mechanic and had his shop in his back yard in the suburbs of Richmond, Virginia. Although county laws would never allow something like this today, or as Eddie was fond of saying, “I was grandfathered in.” Sheet metal work, back then, was quite challenging. One would pick a 3′ x 7′ sheet of metal off of a pile on the floor and place it on a work table. From there it was
Mr. Toot was my eighth-grade shop teacher. He was a gentle man of small stature, soft-spoken, and always with a thoughtful message. Even as a fourteen-year-old, I sensed he went into teaching because he felt the “calling” to share his knowledge and to make the world a better place. I remember observing him as some of my classmates challenged him. He would start off with a kind request to change their behavior, then proceed to a more hard-line approach, which his demeanor was not designed for. Mr. Toot’s approach to teaching woodworking was to select a project that required one
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