Glass & Stone - using agates and raw gemstones in stained glass

Welcome to Glass & Light, Israel. If we haven't met before, you can visit my "other blog" (see link on the right) for a more personal view into my soul.

I go through periods when I am possessed by the urge to handle stones - we're not talking about diamonds here but stones can be used with a lot of success in stained glass. Just foil them up as if they are glass. Usually, because they are not straight edged like glass pieces, and not particularly sharp, there is no need to grind the edges.

How do I love stones? Let me count the ways:

• polished agate slices
• polished chunks of semi-precious stones
• raw (unpolished) semi-precious stones
• cool stones that I've picked up while hiking around
• polished and unpolished fossils
• stone beads like garnet, jade and carnelian
  

Tips for Glass Artists:

1. Most rocks are not flat. (We all know that but when handling rocks with glass, we forget.) When you're setting chunks/nuggets/crystal spears into your work, consider saving the rock work for last, and centering them in their place. This means that the copper foil is wrapped around the center of rock, and you'll need to put supports under you panel to raise it to the height you want relative to the rock. The rock will stick out of both sides of your work.


2. Flux can leach some colors out of the edges of dyed agates. I like the effect, myself.


3. Patina acid can damage the polished finish on some stones, agates and fossils. If you want to patina your piece, consider applying a thin layer of oil or Vaseline on the stone's surface first. Be very careful not to get the Vaseline on the solder, as this can result in uneven patina cover.

Mandalas for your spirit

Welcome to Glass & Light, Israel. If we haven't met before, you can visit my "other blog" (see link on the right) for a more personal view into my soul.

I find making mandalas a very spiritual quest, and often lose track of time while preparing them - it's very absorbing. I'd like to share some of them here on my website; some are for sale and some were private commissions and by definition, for sale only to the clients who requested them.

The mandala on the right, is called "Israeli summer." I made this, really, to show off the pottery shards that I love to collect. When I handle them, I can't but think of all the people in the past 2,000 years who might have used the clay vessel the shards came from. In Israel, these things are laying about pretty much everywhere and I find them very evocative. I made companion piece called "Israeli Winter" which used blues and greens with shards.

I recently created this mandala to commemorate a young woman who died in a freak accident. As I was working, Liat's photo was centered among the pieces of art glass. She was looking directly at the camera when the photo was taken and as I worked, I felt like she was looking straight at me, into my soul. I found myself smiling into her eyes and thinking, yes, between the two of us, we will make something for your parents that they will love. It sounds a little crazy, but aren't all artists a little crazy??

Dancing Water Lilies - Fused mandala within a stained glass mandala

Chanuka Menora

Welcome to Glass & Light, Israel. If we haven't met before, you can visit my "other blog" (see link on the right) for a more personal view into my soul.

I'd like to share a photo of a special commission I just completed. Sure, it's a little late for this holiday, but the family fell in love with a menora - or Chanukia - they saw in our home and commissioned this one to take back with them to the USA. They plan on using it for many years to come; it will not only serve their traditions but be a very personal souvenir of their stay in Israel.

The glass cups can hold wicks and oil or candles. They can be removed for cleaning. The shamas (or head candle, as we called it when I was a kid) is at the top. You can just see its support on the highest edge. It also carries a cup, which doesn't show in the this photo.

Art Boxes - a place to keep your dreams

Welcome to Glass & Light, Israel. If we haven't met before, you can visit my "other blog" (see link on the right) for a more personal view into my soul.

Today's *ping* is about Art Boxes. These are stained glass boxes with fancy lids. Most of my Art Boxes are special orders and meant to capture the sentiments of the client. They come in various styles. Ocassionally I make them without anyone in mind and then they most likely express my sentiments of the moment.

Please take a moment to leave a comment and let me know what kind of designs you would like to see in Art Boxes, even if you don't want to order one.

Welcome to my new website...

Welcome to my new website. If you haven't met me before, you can visit my "other blog" (see link on the right) for a more personal view into my soul.

So what's new today? I'm listing a new line of stained glass ammonite creations in my Glass & Light Etsy store. I'll put in a few new ones every day - I've made about 10. Each is unique and all are for sale.