PHELANLAND PERSPECTIVE: Stained Glass Pieces Made in 2008

Crazy Bog Frog - December 2008

My girlfriend Joanne had purchased the stained glass "frog on the log" at a craft show several years ago. It was a freestanding suncatcher which can be very unstable. I offered to set it into a circle for her as a Christmas present. It was tricky to find leaf and leg glass and also fit in some of the tiny, tiny pieces. The bottom part of the right leg was non existant. I added some leaves and tucked the leg in behind the leaves as toes are very tricky to do. I added the two rondels to bring some character into the work and enhance the darker glass background. It is a bit of a find as these rondels are no longer available.

Transformed Bevelled Dove Window - Nov 2008

I made the above window to go over two sliding doors in our Tweed house. The window was a doorway to our pool. When we sold the house in 199, Arthur removed the window but he cracked some of the outside green crackle glass pieces in the process. I had hoped to rebuild this window in a subsequent home but with all of our moves the window ended up being carted around for 12 years.

I got the idea of trying to used the outside ends of the Tweed window for the side panels above in our current home. I was not able to get the green crackle glass anymore, but was able to match up the colour. I removed the outside border so the panels would fit and added the top and bottom sections.

I then reduced the pink circle around the dove and created the centre bevelled window for the door. I picked up some of the design elements and new green glass from the side windows to balance out the pattern.

Overall this brings a lovely soft glow into our hallway and I am pleased with my ingenuity. Just after I got this done my husband lost his job..... but now that I've remade the window we CAN NOT move again so keep your fingers crossed for us!!!

Karina's Bevelled Side Windows - Nov 2008

My niece Karina had a new house built and ordered a lovely bevelled front door. (see photo on the right before installation) However she was not able to get matching side panels for the size of openings that had been left. I was able to locate matching glass and bevels and custom make these windows. The work was done in lead came so the putty that goes under the lead made quite a mess - very hard to clean off on clear glass. This was quite a challenge without being able to see the actual glass or measure installation sizes for the door and existing windows. Another challenge was figuring out how to ship them. My husband made a very tight plywood box with a screwed down lid, total weight with the windows inside was 47 pounds. I was able to ship this via Greyhound Courier Express for $100 and was happy that they arrived safe and sound.

Apple Blossom Repair for Merle - Nov 2008

Client designed this window over 20 years ago but it had been dropped and the background was full of cracked pieces. She had been living with them crazy glued together. Getting the window out of the lovely oak frame was quite a challenge. Arthur had to cut carefully through the mitered joint. I was able to get a pattern of the existing window by placing a large piece of paper over it, then colouring back and forth with the side of a pencil, over the raised part of the design - like we used to do to get leaf patterns with crayons when we were children. Luckily I was able to match the antique clear background glass and end up with the correct sized window to put back in the frame.

Stylized Crane for Marie Northey - Oct 2008

This is one of the most complex designs I've ever worked with. There are almost 300 pieces in the work, some so small you could hardly hold them and most of them need fitting. There are 9 different shades of green in the work. The irridescent baroque and droplet background glass add an airy lightness to the piece which centres on the turquoise jewel focal point. It is a delicate work, not for a beginning stained glass artist.

Baha'i Nine Pointed Star - June 2008

This piece is my own design. Have you ever tried to divide a circle into 9 pieces? It is much easier with an even number. The background spirit glass suggests rays of light emanating from the star. This star and the number nine is is associated with perfection, unity and the numerical value of the word Bahá'. It was a wedding present Shamim and Stecha, my sons brother in law and wife who are both members of the Baha'i faith. We had a lovely time at their wedding in Orillia last June. They are currently renting the apartment in Aaron and Nagmeh's house.

Window #1: Grads of 94 - completed Mar 1, 2008

The windows below represent the prototye for a reconstruction project I am currently working on. For a more detailed description of this work in progress go to my Coming Soon article.

.............................Before....................................................After................................

Unicorn and Fairy Fantasy - Feb 24, 2008

The fairy and unicorn that were made for Inez many years ago, when her children were little, have been incorporated into this fantasy piece. Globs and Rondels float around a sun motif introducing coloured bubbles that match the room decor. The background glass features a rather rare piece of spaced out clear glue chip glass. The rondels which are no longer made, were a "find" from A. J. Artistic Stained Glass Supply Store in Toronto.