Stained Glass Butterfly made with some vintage glass beads from the 80s!
Each piece of stained glass I make, whether it’s big or small, starts as a hand-drawn design. I choose my glass one sheet at a time, not just for the colour but for the texture and how it catches the light. I trace my pattern pieces onto the glass and cut each section by hand to fit into the design.
I use my glass grinder to smooth the edges and tweak each piece until it fits properly, like putting together a puzzle where everything has to sit just right. Every single piece of glass is then wrapped in copper foil before being soldered together. Solder won’t stick to glass on its own, so the copper foil gives it something to hold onto. This part of the process is slow and methodical, and it’s where the whole piece really starts to come together and build strength. I make sure each piece will stand the test of time by building up the solder lines, especially around the edges of the entire piece.
Once everything is soldered, the piece gets a proper good scrub. I might apply a patina at this stage to change the solder from its original silver to copper or black. The very last step is polishing and a lot of wiping and scrubbing until the glass and solder are super shiny.
I’m a self-taught stained glass artist, and my process is built on patience, trial and error, and a lot of care. No two pieces are ever the same. Every one is made by hand, and I take real pride in making each piece as unique and perfect as I possibly can.
Overall this piece took about 22 hours, perfecting it.
H : 7 inch (approx)
W : 10 inch (approx)
Stained Glass Butterfly made with some vintage glass beads from the 80s!
Each piece of stained glass I make, whether it’s big or small, starts as a hand-drawn design. I choose my glass one sheet at a time, not just for the colour but for the texture and how it catches the light. I trace my pattern pieces onto the glass and cut each section by hand to fit into the design.
I use my glass grinder to smooth the edges and tweak each piece until it fits properly, like putting together a puzzle where everything has to sit just right. Every single piece of glass is then wrapped in copper foil before being soldered together. Solder won’t stick to glass on its own, so the copper foil gives it something to hold onto. This part of the process is slow and methodical, and it’s where the whole piece really starts to come together and build strength. I make sure each piece will stand the test of time by building up the solder lines, especially around the edges of the entire piece.
Once everything is soldered, the piece gets a proper good scrub. I might apply a patina at this stage to change the solder from its original silver to copper or black. The very last step is polishing and a lot of wiping and scrubbing until the glass and solder are super shiny.
I’m a self-taught stained glass artist, and my process is built on patience, trial and error, and a lot of care. No two pieces are ever the same. Every one is made by hand, and I take real pride in making each piece as unique and perfect as I possibly can.
Overall this piece took about 22 hours, perfecting it.
H : 7 inch (approx)
W : 10 inch (approx)
