Thoughts – Wayne Cain

Myself

September 9, 2024

When I moved to the country in 1982, I was back working by myself, by choice. I chose to live as inexpensively as possible so I would have the time to focus on learning about myself, something I didn’t have much time for when I was building my company in Richmond. I could do this because I had a strong networking system with other artisans who would contact me when they saw the potential for my art when working on their projects. Networking was the norm before the Internet. If someone referred you, you were usually accepted on their

Shop Door

September 9, 2024

In our work, there are many small task, that at times, are quite challenging. In a single window there may be hundreds of solder joints. Solder, a mixture of 60% tin and 40% lead melts at 370 degrees. Lead came melts at 621 degrees. A soldering iron with a rheostat, will give a relative consistent heat, but when in use the temperature fluctuates. Manipulating the two metals with an ever changing heat requires skill and patience. It’s my job to say what is acceptable and what isn’t. Or as one of my mentors was fond of saying, “It’s my

Thinking

September 7, 2024

On each project, we reach a point where we ask ourselves, “Is it finished as is?” As we gather around, it is like a four-way chess game. Each of us picks up additional pieces and places them for observation. Mostly, we communicate in grunts and groans, like a bunch of Neanderthals tasting something we just cooked but never had before. The emotion in our voices replaces everyday adjectives. We’re guys, and we’re proud of it. Our journey as artists/craftsmen provides us with the lifestyle we need to sharpen our creative skills. Creativity is no longer a sideline but necessary

Translucency

September 5, 2024

Around twenty years ago, I became bored with stained glass. The opalescent glass no longer amused me. It was dull and too consistent to be interesting. I often found myself drawn to nature’s translucency, especially sunlight filtering through treetops. Whatever the season, the ever-changing light and shadows and the flickering of color held my interest. I explored impressionist paintings to see how other artists interpreted this phenomenon with quick brush strokes, an almost reckless approach that brought a fresh, emotional feeling to the canvas. I wanted to create windows like they create paintings. I wanted a background of subtle

Commissions

September 3, 2024

Have you seen the reels on social media where the couple is traveling and the wife—it’s always the wife—is saying, “Shouldn’t we be in the other lane? Do you see the bicyclist? Did you mean to park this far away?” This is what the life of a commissioned artist is like. And then there’s the client who says, “Please make us one of your windows for our dining room. We’re going to Vail. Send us a bill.” And, of course, everything in between. All of these take patience. Total freedom is the hardest. I want them to be pleased,

Drawing

September 3, 2024

Between my period of making stained glass window ornaments and starting to create simple lamps and windows, I began to feel the need to be able to draw. I could do simple, mechanical type drawings, but I wanted to express my more creative ideas. I looked through many how-to books on the subject, along with sketches of the masters, to get an idea of how I wanted to teach myself. I ran across a book at a yard sale: Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Dr. Betty Edwards offered groundbreaking insight into how to teach yourself. It

Burnout

September 3, 2024

My mind likes to work 24/7. It probably has 15-20 of these “snippets” in the works now. It’s not nurotic it just has a good work ethic. I learned many years ago that when an idea appears, I write it down and let my subconscious go to work. My subconscious doesn’t like having an unsolved problem. There are 86 billion neurons traveling between 156 to 270 miles per hour, and they live right next to each other. When some of those neurons have an idea, they flash it into my conscious mind. By flash, I mean a nanosecond or

John Williams

August 19, 2024

I was 34, and John was around 18 when this photograph was taken. John showed up one day a few years earlier with his shop teacher from Buckingham High School. He had just cut his foot on a rock while playing in the James River and was hobbling around on crutches. I don’t know the whole story, but somehow, the shop teacher thought an introduction between the two was a good idea. At this time, to survive financially, I was beveling glass for other studios and my commissions. Beveling is tough work. Holding a piece of glass over rotating

Creating and Restoring Art Glass since 1972.