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Glass is made from the simplest ingredients, sand transformed by fire, with metallic salts and oxides capturing specific portions of the white light spectrum. Glass changes daily with the position and intensity of the sun, the weather, and your point of reference. Glass is unique. It contains the properties of liquid, gas, and solid state matter and mostly resembles super-cooled liquid. Light piercing through glass illuminates the soul. Glass has the strength to inspire in church windows for centuries, and the fragility to shatter with seemingly little force. Its colors are vibrant, soft, clear, jarring, soothing, and seductive. It can be cut, painted, melted, and blown. The solder, lead, and chemicals needed to piece stained glass together must be handled with care. Band-aids are a frequently used tool. Becoming an accomplished glass artist is a lifelong endeavor requiring skill in design, drawing, color theory, and glass-specific techniques.
The Process
Elena Wright's stained glass panels are assembled using two methods: copper foil, the Tiffany method, or lead came, the traditional method. The copper foil method is suitable for intricate, complex designs. The lead came method is superb for geometrics, or designs with smoothly flowing lines. Some pieces are fabricated using both methods.
Copper-foil Example |
Lead Came Example |
All stained glass panels require three basic steps; design, fabricate, and delight the client. Elena begins the design process by sketching the concept or examining a client's photograph. She sometimes creates watercolor or pen and ink studies for complicated subject matter. The sketch, photo, pen and ink drawing, or watercolor is scanned into a computer and imported into a professional stained glass design program. Using standard automated drawing tools, Elena transforms the original image into a stained glass cartoon (pattern template). This design program allows for electronic design archival, resizing to any dimension, and the ability to compare color combinations of available glasses. It also contains a costing component to help identify where design changes affect cost. If a client has a copyright-free design they want expressed in glass, that design can also be used as a starting point. After the design and color choices are finalized, the design is printed and the physical part of panel creation begins.
Example Initial Sketch |
Example Finished Panel |
The sheets of glass must be cut to fit the design. Two methods are used. In one method, the paper design is cut into pieces, glued to the glass, and then the glass is cut around each paper template. In the other method, the whole design is placed on a light table and the glass is cut to match the pattern. To protect fingers during the cleaning, leading or foiling process, each cut piece is quickly run against a grinding surface. Pieces are cleaned and arranged on the pattern.
Cutting on Light Table |
Grinding |
Puttying |
Depending on the design, the edge of each piece may be encased in copper foil or in lead came. If foiled, the edge of each piece is covered with foil tape, burnished tightly against the glass, placed back on the pattern, fluxed with a chemical to allow solder to flow, tack soldered, and then completely soldered along each glass edge. The finished foil work is cleaned, patinated (colors the soldered seam copper, bronze, or black), polished and framed. If leaded, each piece is placed on the pattern, encased with lead came, and when completely encased, each point between the lead cames is soldered. The finished lead work is cleaned, puttied, polished and framed.
Elena also delights in creating three-dimensional objects in stained glass. All three-dimensional objects are made using lead-free solder. They too start from an initial sketch.
Crystal Angel |
Hands with Fused Bowl |
Clear Glass Vase |
Delight the client is the best step. That's when the client receives an orignal idea expressed in glass. The client realizes there will never be another piece of art exactly like the stained glass they possess. Variations in glass, chemicals used, technique, and finishng make each piece unique.
Stained glass is polished using a regular furniture polish, Pledge. If the glass is dusty, it can be dusted with a lightly dampened cloth. If it needs cleaning, simply polish with Pledge sprayed on a cloth. Do not spray furniture polish directly on a panel or 3-D object because polish can settle in corners and indentations. Stained glass panels are meant to be hung in windows in full sunlight. 3-D objects look wonderful on a table near a good light source. As noted, 3-D objects are made from lead-free solder. Stained glass panels are constructed with lead-based products. Normal handling does not result in exposure to lead. Abnormal handling would be bizarre behavior like trying to eat a panel. The same safety concerns used for oil paintngs are appropriate for stained glass. Stained glass panels are made from glass and should not be hung within reach of small children who could break a panel and cut themselves. It's best to hang the panel from two hooks inserted in the window frame. Using two hooks to divide the weight of the panel will support the panel if the hook fails.
The most important instruction is to simply enjoy your glass and know you own a unique work of art made in America.