Stained Glass Patterns and Tips from GlassSorcery.com

I love these stained glass versions of a d20 (20-sided dice) used by gamers for table top role playing games. This gives me yet another project to add to my list.

I have made little sea shell and sand pyramids (will post photo soon,) but now I want to try making d20s or some other size of die. At least I won’t have to worry about filling it with sand and shells before I finish soldering.

Looks like the numbers on the three dimensional dice are made from solder on copper foil overlays. Maybe the numbers could be painted on?

clipped from purplepawn.com

The popular board game podcast, The Spiel, featured a unique piece of art in this week’s episode: stained glass D20’s (20 sided dice).  While only tangentially related to gaming (as they definitely can’t be rolled more than once), these items are so gorgeous that they deserve further mention.

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Recently I have been looking for a rose window frame to make a rose window.

There used to be a company in Oregon called the Rose Window Company that made sets of various styles of rose window frames for artists and hobbyists to use to make rose windows. I have been trying to locate therm with no success. I guess they have gone out of business.

While searching for information on the Rose Window Company I came across Mezalick Design Studio. They have an interesting article with great photos about a restoration they performed on a Tiffany Rose Window in a church in Germantown in Philadelphia, PA.

They also have a very detailed and interesting article on the history of stained glass. I have added a link to this article on our History and Museums page.

Oh, and if anyone has any information on the whereabouts or status of the Rose Window Company, or if you know of any other company that sells rose window frames, please leave me a comment. Thanks- Gwen

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Here is an interesting article on stained glass. You can find additional articles on the art of stained glass and links to articles and sites about the history of stained glass and stained glass museums here on our website. -Gwen

Stained glass reached the state of the art in the early 11th century. Many gothic structures used such windows and even today they impose themselves with their beauty and their ingenuity.

In those times men set up a glass factory wherever nature allowed one to be built, namely near a silica deposit. Silica is the main and most important ingredient in glass making.

To obtain colored panes, people used the help of chemistry. While still liquid, an amount of metallic oxide was mixed in the melting pot. This gave the material its color. Man knew colored glass from ancient times and so the Romans, the Egyptians and the Greeks were renowned glass artisans.

During the 5th and 6th century, the technique we know today as stained glass began to show its face. Early creations can be admired today in museums. At first, they combined thin pieces of alabaster inside a wooden frame; this gave a similar effect. Later on, Asian manufacturers used pieces of colored glass to create what we know today as stained glass.

For more detail, artists use painting techniques that enhance the overall design and complete difficult to fill areas.

One interesting thing about these marvelous windows is that the only role they play is to douse the light and to make it difficult to see what happens inside the structure. The themes used in these masterpieces are religious (inspired from bible), symbolic, or inspired from literature and myths. Some of them display scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and other religious figures. These are present everywhere on the windows of medieval churches.

Creating state of the art stained glass panes involves a lot of artistic genius and a lot of experience. Artistic skill and engineering skill are a must for designing the theme and the structure of such an artwork.

Nowadays, in the 21st century, this technique is used in combination with modern forms of art. A revival of the gothic style took place after WWII. Many monuments lost their windows during the war. Great German artists like Ervin Bossanyi, Ludwig Schaffrath, Johannes Shreiter, and Douglas Strachan took the matter in their own hands and struggled to make and old art form a contemporary one.

Nowadays there are not many places where to study the traditional ways of stained glass making. Despite this fact, stained glass is frequently used for home accessories and interior design elements. Whether if it’s a lamp or a window, a piece of stained glass will always add a finishing touch to your home.

Keith Londrie II is the Webmaster of Stained-glass-info.info, a website that specializes in providing information on stained Glass that you can research on the internet. (This site no longer exists, hence we’ve removed the link. )

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There is an absolutely beautiful cathedral in Spokane WA, the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, that has some gorgeous stained glass windows. If you are lucky enough to live nearby, or if you travel to Spokane this is one spot you should not miss. You can take a guided tour of the cathedral. I took the tour this week and I greatly enjoyed it.

There are numerous stained glass windows, many huge windows (over 24 feet tall) many smaller stained glass windows, and a beautiful mosaic inside the cathedral. The stained glass rose window in the west is superb. It is a classic high gothic design.

The cathedral itself is a splendid example of gothic architecture. I took some pictures of the Cathedral of St. John inside and out and you can view a few of them here.

On the St. John’s Cathedral website they have an article about stained glass in general and about the St. John’s Cathedral stained glass windows in particular. They describe the windows in detail.

Their website also has a pictorial display/slide show illustrating how the new cathedral stained glass windows were built. It is fascinating to see all of the steps involved with this project and is well worth viewing. To view it visit their Online Resources page and click on the link: See how the New Cathedral Stained Glass Windows are built!

Enjoy these beautiful windows!

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We have just posted a page of links to articles on the history of glass in general and the history of stained glass in particular.  There is also a listing of links to various museums with stained glass exhibits. Some of the museums have good photos of their stained glass  exhibits that can be viewed online.

The articles make interesting reading and add to the stained glass artist’s appreciation of this fascinating medium. Viewing the historic examples of stained glass art by masters of the genre also provides inspiration. So visit our page and get inspired, then come and review our free stained glass patterns and select one and begin making your own personal stained glass museum.

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I have RobertOddy.com bookmarked in my stained glass artists section in the folder entitled “Simply Amazing.” I have been a fan since I first saw his work.

Bob Oddy is a frequent/regular contributor to Glass Patterns Quarterly, which means that you can obtain some of his patterns along with his instructions on creating one of these masterpieces from that publication.

Bob Oddy is best known for the illusion of depth he creates in his work by plating multiple layers of glass. He also incorporates bark and carved wood into some of his work.

Bob Oddy is self-taught. Because he wasn’t taught what “can’t be done,” he often does the un-doable, to great effect. For example, his first stained glass panel “Bamboo,” diverges significantly from the standard, accepted methods of stained glass construction.

As Jim Matthews writes,

. . .the moon gets its shape from multiple glass pieces — but they are unattached, not leaded or foiled together. Oddy carefully ground the pieces to diminish shiny edges, then butted them together to create invisible seams. . .

For the full article see “Artist Profile: Robert N. Oddy,” by Jim Matthews, The Score, Issue No. 60, Sept 15, 1997.

Visit Bob Oddy’s website to view his gallery of works and read his collection of articles, some of which include descriptions of the techniques he uses in his exceptional works of glass art.

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Sunset Station Hotel & Casino’s Gaudi Bar Stained Glass Ceiling

While you are in Las Vegas for the 2007 Glass Craft & Bead Expo be sure to check out the Sunset Station Hotel & Casino’s Gaudi Bar. The Gaudi Bar has been called an homage to the eccentric vision of Barcelona architect Antonio Gaudí.

The main reason I plan to visit the Sunset Station Gaudi Bar is the 6,000 sq. ft. stained glass ceiling. Can you believe it?

The spotlight attraction of the Gaudi Bar is the 6,000 square foot stained glass ceiling that encompasses the 140-seat bar. The ceiling, which contains thousands of pieces of stained glass in a free-form mosaic and has absolutely no straight lines or right angles, is one of the largest stained glass ceilings in the U.S. Designed by Scott Avjian of Morris & Brown and Sue Grauten of Savoy Studios, the Gaudi Bar’s amoeba-shaped ceiling is the centerpiece attraction for the casino.

The abrasive waterjet-cutting machine used to cut all of those thousands of pieces of glass was manufactured by Flow International Corporation, Kent, Washington. To see the full text of this article describing the work involved along with more photos go to the Flow Corp website.

Could this be the future of glass cutting technology for the stained glass hobbyist?

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Just when you think you are gaining some expertise and ability in crafting stained glass art, you find a site like Stephen Bonesteel’s and realize how much more there is to learn.
 
Stephen Bonesteel’s work is like nothing else. You can feel the wind as the cars race by, hear the whine of the engines, and see the dust flying. Amazing! It is hard to believe that this is stained glass.

While I hate red type on black background (so hard to read,) the pictures of these stained glass auto racing scenes are awesome. The cars depicted include Ferrari Lotus Duesenberg, and various Indy and Formula 1 cars.  He even did a window of a Clark Gable Duesenberg. Most of the windows are 3′ by 5′ and most were commisioned. At least one was for sale last time I checked: a great 3′ by 5′ window of Jeff Gordon winning the inaugural running of the Brickyard 400 in 1994 is priced at $6,000.

You don’t want to miss this if you are an auto racing fan. Imagine having one of these one-of-a-kind windows in your home! However, even if automobile racing is not one of your interests, if you are an aspiring stained glass artist, or just interested in seeing how versatile stained glass can be, you should really check out Stephen Bonesteel Race Glass. 

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Ironically, I was asked this question recently. My first reaction was to wonder just how this person could be so naive. Then I realized that many people who don’t collect glass may be naive when it comes to understanding the fascination that we art glass collectors share.

There are definitely many different reasons that each person collects art glass, but the one thing we all have in common is the pure appreciation of artistic perfection. Just looking at some pieces, for example from Charles Lotton, inspires awe in the sheer beauty of the work.

Another obvious reason is that beautiful art glass certainly enhances
any decor. From adding additional colors to an otherwise neutral-colored room to showcasing favorite pieces, art glass can provide the finishing touches for any room in your home or office.

A very important reason to collect art glass is for investment. Quality
art glass by artists who have established themselves as keystones in the industry increases in value over time (sometimes much more reliably than the stock market). I have some pieces in my personal collection that have increased thousands of dollars. In addition to collecting established artists, keep your eyes open for the up-and-coming glass artists. Initially, their prices are generally less expensive; and as they begin to establish themselves in the industry, the prices of their pieces rise accordingly.

About the Author

• Judy has been collecting art glass for years and has just now opened an art glass internet business, riversidecove.com.

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