Another Custom Stained Glass Transom

Day 2; Today went somewhat better.  I really wanted to have all the leads in place before leaving today.  One thing I've learned... when I start struggling to get the pieces to fit right, it's time to walk away and pick it up tomorrow.  It is coming together nicely though.

DAY 1
5/27/2010; Today I started on a transom panel for a Nashville couple. This panel is an original design, measures approximately 15" x 33" and will be installed in an interior doorway open transom. The center circle will be a 2" amber faceted jewel.
I was making really good time… notice the word "WAS". I pulled the red glass I had ordered for this piece and realized it was the wrong glass. I double checked the invoice to see if I had ordered the wrong glass. I had not. The company sent me 152W rather than the 151W I had ordered. I am very disappointed in Delphi. I have ordered from them several times in the last 6 months and there has been something wrong with each order. This is pretty much the proverbial straw… I won't be ordering from them again. Luckily, Armstrong in Georgia had some 151W and is shipping it to me today. I always get their shipments the next day, Chris and Mike are awesome!
Then I discovered that the light amber glass I was using for this panel was a shade off, actually the medium amber. Grrr. I think I have the correct glass at home, I hope I have the correct glass at home! What is it with my glass being a shade off today?
So… I cut the clear rough rolled, measured and cut my zinc to size, set up the layout and leaded what I could until the rest of the glass gets here tomorrow.

Berkheimer Transom Complete

Wow... got that one banged out pretty fast! And I felt like I was really taking my time on it. It turned out beautifully! I had alot of passers-by comment on how much they liked the color combination. It is a very striking combination... also happens to be my old high school colors. Go Salthawks!!

The homeowner's for this piece are actually in Pennsylvania. Needless to say, I will not be installing this one. Hopefully Mrs. Berkeimer will send me some pictures after it is installed.

Custom Stained Glass Transom

I forget just how much I enjoy leading glass. Aside from a few little adjustments here and there, all the pieces slid into their respective channels perfectly. All in all it was a really good glass day.

Tomorrow I'll be able to finish leading the remaining pieces and soldering it all together. I might be able to putty it tomorrow as well, we'll just have to see. Might have to wait until Thursday to do that.

Berkheimer Transom; Custom Stained Glass

Now that I've finished with the Burvis cabinet doors, it's time to move on to the Berkheimer transom. I'm not planning on setting a true deadline for this piece, I think I can get it done in a few days... let's see how that works out! All kidding aside, I'd like to be done with it by Wednesday and I plan to work on it everyday until it is done. I'll be leaving for Kansas on Friday to help my grandfather celebrate his 90th birthday, so I'd like it to be done in plenty of time for me to take my trip.

This piece is going to be leaded, which is a different construction method than the last project. I find that leaded pieces tend to go together faster for some reason. The glass is a mixture of Spectrum Artique, Spectrum Rough Rolled and Wissmach English Muffle with a 1.5" clear faceted jewel in the center of each column. Awesome color combination chosen by the client.

I'll finish cutting tomorrow and then start leading on Monday.

Burvis; panels complete!

Success! That deadline I set for myself to have these pieces completed was Friday, May 14th. Guess what day I finished them? FRIDAY, MAY 14TH! I will never again post a deadline. If I ever hope to keep it anyway!

Waiting to hear from the Burvis' on when we can get these installed. There is a question on prepping the existing cabinet doors... more specifically, how to get the plate glass that is glued to to wood out before these can be installed. Once we get those details figured out, I will post final installed pictures on my website. www.sapphireroad.com

Nearing the finish line...

Two of the four panels were soldered, patina'd and polished today! Yay! I really wanted to have all four done today, but got a little side tracked yesterday afternoon and this morning. No biggie, I'm still ahead of the schedule I set for myself and didn't share here. Maybe Karma does work!

This isn't the best of pictures, but the camera batteries died right after this one was taken! Final pictures coming soon...

Burvis Custom Cabinet Doors

It's been 7 days since I started this set of four cabinet doors. I feel really good about my progress! Panels one through three are cut and foiled, panel four is about 40% cut and the remaining 60% is going to be fast and easy! I lost my lovely assistant for the week I'm afraid… the boyfriend came home from college. I don't think I'm going to be seeing much of her for awhile.

The first panel (on the bottom of the picture) has been tack soldered, so it is all in place. The other two are ready to be tacked and a few of the pieces have been bumped out of place, they will be perfectly in line once they are tacked. Only a few more days to go!

Looking good!

A little bit of progress today... about what I expected. About 40% of the third panel cut. Actually, a little bit more given the fact that when I arrived at The Factory today, we had no electricity. Not sure what was going on there, but we were in the dark until about 11:15 or so (not 100% sure, I didn't check my watch).

Quite a few people stopped in and admired the design and glass choices.

Now... the drive home, a glass of wine and a nice relaxing evening.

Burvis cabinets; Day 3

The second panel is cut. The first panel is foiled and tacked. Wow! This project is progressing nicely.

I expect there won't be as much progress tomorrow and Saturday. Traffic through The Factory is usually heavier on Friday and Saturday. But we'll just see... you never know.

A dangerous craft...

One full panel cut today and my lovely assistant, Jenna, began foiling. She's awesome. One panel foiled today!

As you can see from the picture, I found the red glass. This piece came off a score and landed on the table this way!! Thank goodness it wasn't my arm or my foot!!

Jenna seemed unphazed by flying glass stabbing into the table. That's my girl!

The Burvis Cabinets are under way!

Finally started cutting on the Burvis Cabinets today. It felt great working in my newly spacious studio!

All the light green pieces are cut and just a few of the dark green, white and amber border pieces. I'm not happy with the red glass that came in for these panels. It was supposed to be red with a hint of amber and it came in amber with a hint of red! I'll need to replace that and have a few ideas on how I'm going to accomplish that.

I've set a goal for myself on these panels, but I'm not sharing that here. Everytime I do… something happens to push that date back. So I'm going to play with karma here and see if I keep my deadline to myself if I can keep it!! Wish me luck!

Barbee; continued...

No pictures today... progress looks pretty much the same as previous pictures posted. Today was a slow progress day, but progress was made.

I accidentally got a portion of the pattern wet and you know wet paper, it magically changes shape, never to return to its former flatness. So I had to splice and re-invent the wheel. Then I mismeasured the first two cuts made... not a good start to the beginning of the next window. But I finally got it together and managed to get about 75% of one panel done. Mind you... this did not take me all day, just about 3 hours. Ugh. Finally decided to call it quits for the day when those last few pieces just wouldn't fit into leads properly.

Tomorrow WILL be a better, smoother, perfect glass cutting and leading day!

Barbee; Days 3-5

One side is leaded and soldered and today will be puttied. This picture was taken before soldering, but really doesn't look any different now that it has been soldered. I'll start the second side as soon as this side is puttied.

I like this repeating motif pattern, it's very subtle and elegant.

Barbee; Day 2

Progress is slow, but steady. I set a small goal for myself today… knowing I had about three hundred other things to accomplish! I met all my goals and then a tiny bit more. YAY! The left side of one window is cut and leaded. Very happy that all my measurements have been spot on so far!! (Knock on wood) My goal for tomorrow is to get the right side done. Wish me luck! My deadline for these windows is April 15^th. Not sure if I'm going to make that… but I'm sure gonna give it a try!

Barbee Windows; Day 1

Today was the official start of two leaded bathroom windows. Each window will have 6 panes with an identical motif in the center of each pane, for a total of 12 panes. This is an original design that was developed with elements of the bathroom in mind. The motif is representative of window treatment finials. Below I've posted a picture of the first panel leaded along with the mock-up design image.

Empathic Reactions

Nothing compares to the reaction of a satisfied client when they see their completed piece for the first time. I have been fortunate to have never experienced a bad reaction… I'm pretty sure it has more to do with the captivating nature of the glass itself rather than my artistic ability or craftsmanship. I know glass of all types captivates me on a daily basis!

The Long's stopped by today on their daily walk to check on the progress of their window. I felt horrible… I had taken the piece home to frame and it wasn't here for them to see. Then I remembered I had my camera and had taken a picture before I loaded it in the car. Mrs. Long's reaction to the 2" image was emphatic! I cannot wait to see how she reacts to seeing the full size actual window. It truly did turn out beautiful. The colors go together very well and I am anxious to see how they look in their bathroom.

I found another recent reaction to my work humbling. I was visiting a client who is now having another window done. I was tickled when she asked me if I wanted to see the window I had previously done. She was so comfortable and excited showing the window off that she even wanted to show it off to me! She shared with me the reactions of visitors to her home and how the piece has changed the whole personality of the room. To think that something I created with my own two hands could have such an impact on someone else is very humbling and I do believe it has more to do with the glass than with me.

Now it's on to the next project. A pair of lunette windows for a bathroom, one over the tub and the other over the door leading out to the patio. The windows will be done in the same elegant pattern using all clear glasses, but in different sizes.

Let the foiling begin!

All the pieces are cut and ready to be foiled. The colors in this window have really come together to make a stunning piece. It was a little touch and go on Wednesday... I couldn't take an accurate measurement on the border pieces to save my life! I took my own advice that I give to my glass students, I walked away from it and picked it up the next day. Glad I did! Measuring was much smoother (and accurate!) on Thursday.

Next up... the Long's bathroom window

On the table now is the Long's master bathroom window commission. This is an original design using an art nouveau inspired flower and simple blocking. The colors were pulled from fabric choices used in the bath and bedroom.

Kerr Commission; Completed and installed

The Kerr's transom and sidelight were installed this morning. They look beautiful! For more pictures, visit my website at http://www.sapphireroad.com/ I have to say, this was the smoothest installation we've done to date. Everything fit in its spot perfectly and cooperated nicely! A very successful commission!