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Off Topic Area => Other Hobbies => Topic started by: iceopals on February 01, 2015, 12:14:28 PM
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I've been thinking for some time that I wanted to share what I really do. It's a job, or at least it is my legal business, but I would definitely not say that there is enough work to call it a job! Anyway, I started in stained glass something like 26 years ago, after my son was born and I found I needed some type of mental and physical "therapy". He was born with symmetrical brain atrophy, and I needed a stress outlet.
First, what the atrophy meant (since I know some of you are wondering) was that his brain was literally atrophied, or undersized on both hemispheres, rather than just on one. He also had the scalloping in his forebrain that would lead to mental retardation. So his prognosis was development like children with Down's syndrome and physical delays along the line of Cerebral palsy. Or maybe the brain would play catch-up, since we really do not understand the miracles that the brain can decide to take on. I firmly believe that God decided that the miracle path was the way we were going to go. To make a long story short, he is now a Mechanical Engineer with a BS and MS, and works in his field. :angel9:
Back to stained glass. I work in the field, have taught for 20 years, and do restoration work. That includes churches, residential, restaurants, and most often Busch Gardens Williamsburg while they are closed down for the winter. So I thought I would include some pictures of this work, and then a couple of pieces that I just really like. Hope you enjoy it.
Shot of a panel during the process of replacing 2 broken panes of glass. Shot with rondel panel, and pane to be removed.
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Next shot is the glass removed for the repair on that rondel window in the above post, then two lamps I have made that I particularly like.
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Gorgeous pieces! We all need our forms of therapy. Sometimes there are things in life that make us realize the best therapy are things that don't talk back to us. :thumbsup:
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Wonderful creations.
Absolutely agree on the therapy side of things.
Carving does that for me. Sitting on it for hours on end and the world just drops away for a while.
While any problems are still there when coming out of it, very often new solutions have materialized. :icon_sunny:
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'Bout time you came outta' the closet! Finally seeing some of your "work" is a real treat!!!
Now, you know Robin will want to get back into stained glass after seeing this, so I'm thinking lessons... . Heh, at least we have a room for you. Perhaps a couple of lessons either side of next year's Pow-Wow in Quartzsite... ?
BTW - wonderful story about your son, and how your "therapy" worked out so beautifully.
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I used to dabble in stain glass too but I never got to your level of beauty:)
I think rock people have many interests and they love to at least try their hands in anything. Everyone I have ever met in here and other forums have many levels of artistic abilities:)
I am so glad about your son. Life is so good:)
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Beautiful work! A friend of mine was dabbling in stained glass about 15 years ago. I would watch him and I always found it interesting but never tried it myself. You certainly seemed to have mastered the art!
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Thank you everyone, but level of expertise or level of mania is strictly in the eyes of the beholder! It was wonderful therapy, and I do still somewhat fall into it, but not so much anymore. It becomes work, ya know? :glasses9: Now, rocks and jewelry? There is still such a mystique there. (Frequently because I'm trying to figure out how to do something!). And Robin and I are going to have FUN!!!
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Thanks for sharing.Life is often a very strange road and you have obviously found your way. Great visuals and I for one would love to see more.
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What a treat to see your glass work. I appreciate the level of expertise your work entails. More important thanks for sharing a vital part of your personal life.
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when your "therapy" turns out work like that, I suggest you keep it up :headbang:
When I hear a story like yours I can't help but reflect on the tenacity of life and how; if effort is put into it, how much can be accomplished; most of us don't really have much to complain about.
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It's really nice to share something and find it received with such empathy. I have been so blessed. I wish you all could meet my boyo, he is beyond awesome. Still a frequent pain in the butt, like every healthy child, young or old. :glasses9: And I never really thought of stained glass as a positive side benefit of all that drama. hehee... I like that!!!
It is surprising how much stained glass work and jewelry work are similar. You grind the glass/stone, you use thin metals to hold it into place. You can use multiple pieces of stone together, just like glass. I even use my beveler for glass in stone work. It is essentially a flat lap with an interchangeable cone lap. Instead of the soldering iron we use a torch, but even then still very similar. Flux, you name it. Even the glass can be found in nature- sea glass!!!
Here are two other lamps, both Tiffany reproductions that I did many years ago. The one that is fall colored red/green leaves might be my favorite (at least today...).
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Wow I always wanted a Tiffany lamp. I love the red/green one too:)
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Wow. All those layers of leaves give me the feeling that just any second something could spread some of those leaves and be there looking out at me looking at it.
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I see what you mean about similar process. No matter what fine craft we tackle... always the buffing, grinding, connecting, and polishing.
I bet those lamps light up a room even when they are turned off.
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Ha! They do light up the room, on or off. And thanks very much, Vince, that lamp is on my bedside table! Now I will lay awake all night wondering what might be peeping out!!! :spanker:
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:LOLOL: Vince... Peek a Boo...
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:icon_jokercolor: Ohhhhhhhh... This is a story that I just NEVER get to tell, and it will almost fit here, I just HAVE to!!! :WEEEE:
So, years ago we (hubby and I) were visiting my parents. Late at night (2am) I hear from hubby "SNORT, SNORT, SNORT!". Of course I wake him up to ask him what in the world are you doing????? Well, he was dreaming!
"I was a wood elf, and me and my buddy were hiding in a big tree trunk! We were hiding from the forest creatures who were trying to eat us. There were these old ladies with their purses, and they were trying to see what we were! (tThe ladies were going to give our position away.) Well, I did not want any of the woodlands creatures to find us, or those scary ladies, so I opened up my eyes REAL wide, so they would see the eyes and think we must be really big scary creatures there, in that hollowed out tree trunk. But the old ladies with their purses (and I'm thinking, say what???) did not stop looking in the tree! So I snorted at them! That would work! (Well, dear Carol woke up to hear my sweet hubby going "snort, snort, snort" at the top of his lungs! At 2am!!!!! You can bet I woke him up!!!) " End dream! So then hubby explained what the dream was, and we were laughing uproarously when I hear Dad "ok, young 'uns, stop that!!!". And Vince, that is what is going to be looking out from that lamp at me!!!! :WEEEE:
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LOLOLOL :)
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Beautiful work!! Those lamps are beautiful! You do very nice work for it being a "hobby" job :headbang:
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the craftsmanship on these, the layouts and everything is just killer.
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Tooooo funny! Well, I'm glad to hear it will be a friendly wood elf behind those big ol' eyes.
That lamp really does have more depth - even in a photo - than I can remember seeing anywhere. That is true artistry.
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Interesting that you could pick up the depth from a picture. When a Tiffany reproduction is put out, depending on the company, if Tiffany's original was 3 dimensional, the company may make a 3 dimensional form as well. In this case, this form is only available as 3 dimensional (as far as I know, at least back then). So many of the leaves actually bend at the vein, or many of the leaves partially overlay another leaf. And the framework at the top is a very heavy 3D cast construct. Certainly the most accurate form of reproduction. The glass choices, cutting, fitting, etc. are left up to the artist.
Very few Tiffany style lamps are made without patterns. I have made two, one was a reproduction I designed of a Tiffany bat lamp, the other was of flowers for a hurricane lamp. I have been "working" on a patterned lamp, Tiffany repro, for over a decade but quit when I lost interest. It has almost 2000 pieces and I just got TIRED of it! :sad5: it has been so long now, I am not even sure if the copper foil would solder any more because of years of oxidation. :sad5: :sad5: it is 3d also...
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Just found this thread- I have always wanted to try stained glass. One of those bucket list things... Along with Mosaic art, metal etching, metal clay (used for soldering does not count) etc. etc. etc.
Really beautiful work you have shown us here, you are remarkably talented.
As for the title, it's only a job after you start feeling pressured to do it every day for 8 hours a day. :P
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Oh my!! In that case it has never, ever been a job, and never will be! :icon_flower: I could never stand stooped forward for that long at one time. And thank you. It is a lot of fun, and can be very challenging. I would recommend it!
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Nice Work iceopals..!
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beautiful, just beautiful.
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Lovely to hear that your son was able to achieve the level he has.
My daughter has athetoid cerebral palsy affecting her whole body, including speech, but not her intellect. 24 hour care and so I have very little time on my hands.
My arts and crafts often pull me through the hard time. And yes I do have several that I try and work at.
Love the stained glass work. It is on my agenda to do but using some of my daughters drawings (on her computer) Just need her to get a bit healthier and have a friend come and teach me how to use my kiln.
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Lovely to hear that your son was able to achieve the level he has.
My daughter has athetoid cerebral palsy affecting her whole body, including speech, but not her intellect. 24 hour care and so I have very little time on my hands.
My arts and crafts often pull me through the hard time. And yes I do have several that I try and work at.
Love the stained glass work. It is on my agenda to do but using some of my daughters drawings (on her computer) Just need her to get a bit healthier and have a friend come and teach me how to use my kiln.
we are here to support you. my one grandson has autism and another grandson a rare form of epilepsy...douse syndrome where he has multiply types of seizures...what type of kiln do you have? i bought mine this past summer and have not had time to use it.
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I bought a Prometheus Mini Kiln to use with silver clay etc but can see it would work for small stain glass projects as well.
Unfortunately when I was in Holland (my teen years) I was given the opportunity to learn how to do stain glass windows but being a rebellious teen, did not take up the offer. Did learn to do plate etchings though.
It seems disabilities run in families as my eldest grandson is ADHD.
Thank you for the support. Hopefully I will end up with some time soon to get back to the arts and will post some pieces again