sometime in the past

joan hector

Harbor of the arts

This weekend, my daughter and I will be in Benton Harbor, Michigan for the Harbor of the Arts indoor art fair on saturday ( Mar 28 ). This is the first annual event, so it should be pretty fun! If you are in the area... stop by! I'd love to meet you!

toni smith

ST Thomas More student chapel, Kalamazoo Michigan

I stopped by the St. Thomas More student chapel , Kalamazoo MI and got a real surprise! Eight vertical windows of faceted stained glass (which our studio made for them in 1995) were now forming two pillars gracing the entrance to the church premises! What a transformation. It seems they needed to move their windows in the process of there church expansion and lacking a space for them in the new sanctuary they came up with this great solution. At night they are gorgeous all lit up. The four-sided “lamps” make a concentration of color and imagery that is truly stunning. The daytime effect is lovely too, mosaic pillars with images of the six of the Christian year and sun, moon and stars all gathered together. We look forward to more projects using this innovative concept in stained glass!!!
New pictures coming soon!!!!!

Joan

ABOUT FACETED STAINED GLASS

This thicker stained glass is often called slab glass or dalles de verre from the French who introduced it after WWII when much reconstruction was being done. Each slab is almost an inch thick and is made in a standard 8” x 12” format. In the studio the artist cuts the slab into smaller pieces to form the design. This is with done with. a hammer and anvil. Then the glass is faceted selectively to enhance its brilliance. The dalles flash like jewels in the light
The final panels are cast using an epoxy cement which becomes very strong after curing. The epoxy matrix appears dark against the backlight of daytime. This dark background is important in balancing the richness of the vibrant glass, which glows mysteriously even after the sun has set.