Day 166 • Something Beautiful 2022: Something finished, something light

Something Beautiful is the resurrection of a 2014 initiative to find a visual feast for each day of the year. 

Tuesday, I finished my first stained glass project. A saga in its own right. A work I had trouble envisioning as a finished piece. The process is long and laborious. There is a reason stained glass pieces are expensive (beside the material costs).

When the solder soot was cleaned —when the patina was set — when the sections were polished. When it was set on the light table! Surprising. Joyful. Glorious.

Frankly, the typical representational stained glass doesn’t float my boat. The complex, intricate designs and fine craftsmanship of art windows can be amazing. No shock when I decided to begin with an abstract design. An examination and exercise of colors and glass textures and properties. Some problem solving led me to incorporate openings in the design. Getting more deeply into the process, I had doubts about the choice of glass, the amount of opacity, the ability to execute with enough skill to be satisfied with what emerged.

And then there was light. What light does to color and surface. Isn’t that what fascinates most of us with glass. Despite imperfections, I love the piece and, to my surprise, I am planning another project. A finished project is something of beauty in itself. When it exceeds your expectations, it is indeed a thing of beauty.