light made solid

Just thought I'd pass along an announcement about a stained glass class happening in Pacifica, California. Go here for more information.

PACIFICA STAINED GLASS CLASS meets every Tuesday at the Community Center, 540 Crespi Drive, anytime between 10 am and 3 p.m. Beginners can easily learn the art of suncatchers in stained glass. We supply donated glass and tools free to beginners. Everyone welcome. Call Betty at 359-2689.

Stained glass news from Ypsilanti, Michigan:

The city of Ypsilanti has unearthed something of a treasure trove. They recently had appraised a 115 year old stained glass window measuring four by seven feet in the Ladies Library on North Huron Street. The window was valued at $150,000.

There is talk currently of a historical society buying the old building and renovating it into an area museum. The future of the property hangs in the balance until the property itself is appraised. At that point, a vote will be held to determine how the land will be used. Hopefully the window will be preserved regardless!

Here's an interesting stained glass site by an artist named Abbe Nozal. Abbe writes:

In my opinion there isn't any difference between a painting and a stained glass window. The technique is different of course but the artistic element remains the same. I express myself with complete freedom, playing directly with the light, that is the great advantage of working with stained glass.

And here are some of Abbe's works:

1. Mujer sentada, 1986


2. Ref: A-302. Piano, piano


3. Ref: A-301. Discoteca Acrópolis


4. "Paisaje con escalera" 2000

Stained glass news from the Milwaukee area:

Old St. Mary's Church in Elm's Grove was due to be torn down when the diocese decided it no longer had any use for it. Local residents however took up a collection and organized a group to save the church.

Rather than being torn down though, St. Mary's has been bought by an architecture firm, Torke Wirth Pujara Ltd., which will be transforming it into their headquarters.

It sounds like a pretty cool project all around. One of the big things they are doing is trying to restore an old stained glass window to it's original glory. There's also a window which has been missing for years which they'd like to someday restore. Only problem is, nobody knows what it looks like. The church had a fire several years back which destroyed all its records. So they've been scouring the community for photos taken during that time period. Pretty interesting.

The converted church will be opening in the third week of May with a public dedication. Check it out if you're in the area!

Get ready for a stained glass craft class in the Tampa Bay area starting in late January at the Suntan Art Center:

Saturday, Jan. 14, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. (30 min. lunch break). Introduction to Stained Glass workshop introduces an intensive five-week session, Stained Glass 101, where participants will create a colorful sun-catcher using the copper foil technique. Tuition is $25. Tool rental and materials $20.

Classes are Jan. 28 through Feb. 25, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. All tools and materials are provided. Instructor is Sherry Rice. Participants will create a stained glass panel (up to 16" x 16") in the five-week class designed to teach the basic techniques used in the Tiffany style of glass art.

The class meets once a week for three hours. No experience necessary. Tuition is $80. Tool rental and materials $25 per week.

The Suntan Art Center is at 139 107th Ave. Call 367-3818. To register for a class, call Jones at 667-4108.

If you live down that way, go ahead and check it out!

The Waynesboro Record Herald out of Waynesboro, PA has a nice profile of stained glass artist Rosemarie O'Rourke. O'Rourke is a self-taught glass artist with some 40 years experience:

Rosemarie and Jim O'Rourke started a labor of love with their attraction to stained glass. Four decades ago, he convinced her they could convert their self-taught stained glass hobby into an out-of-home business. They founded O'Rourke Originals in 1966.

"From the day we met, we were like two kids who finally found the right playmates," Rosemarie said. "We couldn't produce as much as our ideas (came). The energy is just amazing that develops between two people."

O'Rourke Originals now has extensive hand-picked glass and jewel collections and completes projects across the country.

There's a lot of nice and inspiring information in this article about Rosemarie and her husband's relationship and their dedication to making a living out of doing what they love: stained glass. Worth checking out.

Kind of an interesting stained glass news item out of Greenwich, Connecticut:

John Sudell was a plumber for something like thirty years when suddenly last spring he decided he wanted to give stained glass a try. Having spent so long working with plumbing, Sudell had a solid background in soldering which is one of the main components of putting together a stained glass window.

But Sudell had no artistic background, and what's more, he was color blind. But he didn't let any of that stop him. He took a few classes with a local stained glass artist, but quit when he realized their visions of stained glass weren't compatible. This month though, Sudell's work is being featured in an exhibit of local artists. The pieces in the exhibit all feature lighthouse themes.