Doug Williams
Poor old stained glass – one of the most old-school art forms dates back thousands of years. Today’s most creative designers have taken stained glass out of the holy houses and put it into our homes, using it in new forms of window hangings. Full of tradition, creativity and majesty – what was once relegated to churches has become more residential with houses incorporating stained glass accents in windows and doors. 2018 may become the year of adding stained glass accents to homes as lamps, room dividers and window hangings.
Did you know that many are also referring to stained glass as “sun catchers”? Maybe you’ve noticed we have no shortage of sunshine right here in Sun Lakes! With the renewed popularity of stained glass, you can make your own art glass just by joining the Sun Lakes Rock & Gem Club.
Come on down on the third Monday of the month (September through April) at 10:00 a.m. to the Sun Lakes Country Club’s Navajo Room and see the renewal of interest in beautiful art glass made into window hangings of stained glass.
Typically, when we think of stained glass, we think of churches. While this continues to be true, architectural innovators, such as the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright, have found ways to bring the beauty of stained glass into domestic interiors. Today their innovation has become a growing trend of the creative colorful majesty of stained glass.
Whatever your stance on stained glass purity may be, the good news is that this colorful and unexpected DIY project is super easy to do and creates an awesome stained-glass effect! Why pay hundreds of dollars for a stained-glass art work when you can do it yourself and then you’ll be the artist who makes stained glass!
Entryway: What about your front door? It’s a perfect place to hang long vertical art glass to impress friends and visitors by adding stained glass panels to upgrade your existing entryway.
Dining Room: Sometimes just a touch of stained glass is all that’s needed. A beautiful dining room allows a simple glass pattern to take center stage in its large, sunny window.
Bath: What about your bathroom windows? Today it’s not unusual for stained glass to appear in modern bathrooms, whether in windows or shower doors or on dividing walls.
While the art of stained glass is rapidly rising in popularity, don’t forget we also have exciting classes in dichroic glass with instructor Donna Penna and fused glass with instructor Jan Meyers.
How easy is it? Beautiful colored glass is first cut and fit to your design. Then the edges are wrapped in copper foil and soldered together with melted lead. Many patterns have been created just for you to use. Soon you’ll be creating your own window hanging!
Instructor Nancy Hibbard’s email is [email protected] or call 802-0193 and she will be glad to tell you all about her classes.