The art of pictoral stained glass has been practiced
since the 11th century. Lead came ( lead shaped like an H) was used in the production, which held the glass pieces in
place. In the 12th century, Gothic styled architecture with its rib-vaulted ceilings was introduced which permitted
the use of much larger windows. These were mainly used in churches to illustrate sacred stories for the illiterate parishoners.
During the Reformation and with the introduction of printed books,
decorative windows lost their popularity. The Gothic Revival and invention of the copper foil method in the late 19th
century brought a revival to the art of stained glass. Copper foil made the use of much smaller pieces of glass
and intricate designs possible. Louis Comfort Tiffany is the most well known artist using this production method.
The main steps involved in making a stained glass piece are designing
the piece, choosing the glass colors and textures, making a pattern, cutting the glass to the pattern , grinding for a close
fit, adding foil or came, and soldering the pieces together. Using the copper foil method involves using
thin, narrow pieces of copper foil which are adhered around the edges of each glass piece before soldering.
All of the glass pieces shown are my own original designs.
If you'd like to use a design, please ask for permission.
