Stained Glass Art

"Star & Moon"
I took a picture of this piece I made for a friend a few months back and wanted to keep a record of what it looks like for future creations.

Irish Blessings

Here is a beautiful stained glass pattern for the Irish Clauddagh found at the following website link: http://chantalstainedglass.50megs.com/2claddagh.html



This particular legend takes place in the village of Claddagh in Galway, Ireland, around the 16th century. One morning, a boat went out to sea and was captured by pirates, and the crew was taken as slaves. One man of the crew, who was to have been married within the week, now had no hope of seeing his true love again. The pirates eventually sold the man to a wealthy Moorish gold-smith, under whose rule the man became a master goldsmith. Still remembering his lost love, the man created a ring for her. The elements of the design each had its own meaning—the heart symbolizing love, the hands holding the heart symbolizing friendship, and the crown symbolizing loyalty. After many long years of slavery, the man finally returned to his village, looking for his true love. To his overwhelming happiness, he not only found her, but also found that she had never married. The man gave her the ring, the two were soon married, and they were never parted again.

My Mosaic Mural

Last year I decided I wanted to learn how to do stained glass and mosaics. I signed up for a set of classes in the evenings at a local shop.



It was my first time working with glass, grinders, scoring tools, pinchers, foil, and soldering.




Then I took my knowledge and decided to go BIG -- my bathroom wall became my canvas. I worked on it from January till April faithfully. Then company came and went and more came and went. Finally, I picked up with a new determination and completed my creation this past November.



The grouting process was fun! It feels like making mud pies from my childhood days.



As you can see, I used textured glass. I also chose to leave some of the grout in the grooves of the glass as I like the look.



I have just found a wonderful site to give you some information if you are interested in exploring this craft / artform.

http://www.thestorefinder.com/glass/library/howto.html

The possibilities are endless. The expression is rewarding.