For me, creating stained glass mosaics is like putting the pieces of a shattered life back together into something more beautiful. There may be many small bits with sharp, rough, or cracked edges, but once several pieces are assembled, the flaws in the smaller pieces vanish and the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts.
I tried traditional stained glass making in college. For two days I painstakingly assembled a challenging and lovely panel. I carefully lined each piece of glass with copper tape and then soldered them together. I put my finished panel in the window of my college apartment to enjoy the light shining through it. Later that day, I found the piece had fallen out of the window and landed on one of the hardest items possible – a piece of alabaster I was sculpting at the time, and my special stone hammer. My beautiful piece had shattered and bent and I was heartbroken. I wasn’t planning on ever trying stained glass again.
My paternal grandfather, Donald Dailey, mastered stained glass art after he retired, and gifted many of his grandchildren and friends with colorful boxes, lamps and panels.
When he passed away, I learned that he had bequeathed me all his stained glass tools and remaining glass. For several years I pondered how to use his wonderful gifts. After seeing the work of another artist who used stained glass to create mosaics, I was inspired to try that method myself.
Combining glass pieces cut by my grandfather, with new pieces I've cut, and glass baubles bought at thrift stores, I began to create my own style of stained glass mosaics. Taking the standard grouting process a step further, I paint the grout with acrylic paint to make the space between the glass pieces just as interesting as the glass itself.
In 2004, I created more than 2 dozen mosaic panels, keepsake boxes, tables and collages to give as holiday presents. Many of the pieces were customized with the family or child's name. I have many pieces that have not yet been finished and will post photos of these new works as they become available.
I welcome custom commissions that you can give to your family and friends. Truly a gift they will cherish!
