We want to get to know you

[ct4mom]

 
We have quite a few new members. Dont forget to stop here and introduce yourselves. We would love to get to know you.

[ct4mom]

I'll be the first.
  My name is Diane and I live in Derby,NY married and have 4 grown children and 2 grandkids and one on the way.  I have been dong glass about 3 1/2 yrs as a hobby but took my first class about 6 yrs ago. Then I broke (shattered) my right wrist and took a good year to heal where I could cut glass again. Was a complete new learning expierence.  I love making things for friends and family and this year ventured out and did a craft show and did fairly well.
I love this addiction.

[JoanFrances]

 

I was introduced to the addictive stained glass world when my daughter bought me 7 classes for Christmas, after being forced to give my other passion, (ceramics) up due to medical problems.   It was love at first "score".

I live in New England, I have 4 children (1 born to me and 3 step children.  We have 4 grand children between us.

I have had the pleasure of being blessed enough to create many different art forms including the ceramics, painting, charcoal drawing, and leather work.  I have been fortunate to have my ceramic items purchased by people in about every state in the United State. 

I have completed my very first parttern book for stained glass and have 2 more in the works.  To this day I have not yet found an ugly piece of glass. 

[Anne]

This was a great idea Diane!

I started doing glass as a hobby about 12 years ago, but the addiction became almost full time 4 years ago after I retired.  I live in BC, Canada with my also now retired husband.  We are empty nesters however our 9 year old grandson spends the weekends with us. (I've learned a whole new vocabulary in the last year- you know "oh sweet', "sick"  - words like that - neither of which meant the same thing to us that they mean to him. lol)

I've been doing craft shows for the past 4 years, love doing glass and consider myself so fortunate to be able to do this. What a great addiction to have!!!

[Kev]

 
Hi and welcome to AOG,

My name is Kev and I have been doing glass work now for close to 8 years. I started with some community evening classes and was hooked from the get-go. Recently I have ventured into lead came work, kiln-fired painting, and fusing glass. Prior to that I only did foiled stained glass. I guess the thing I love about glass, is that the possibilities are endless with so many ways to manipulate it....kind of like my mind...LOL....maybe that's what I am so addicted to it. I took the plunge about 1 year ago and bought Glasseye2000 and have not looked back since. That program in itself has opened up a whole new world of creativity to me. I doubt I will ever buy another pattern again. I have more patterns designed now than I will probably make, though designing is very satisfying to me as well.

Originally I hail from Nova Scotia, Canada, but moved to Florida in '96. By profession I am a nurse, which more than satisfies my love of people, but seriously lacks a creative element, hence glass work is my outlet for that. I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful family who are very supportive of my work, and encourage me to continue to grow, though unfortunately it's more around the waist these days.....ok..just a little...but it wasn't there  a few years ago...LOL. I have 2 four-footed loving companions that mean the world to me...Sophie and Fluffy..2 Bichons. Sophie loves to come out to the glass shop with me and will stay there for hours giving me advice...lol

I'm glad you decided to join and look forward to getting to know all of you.

Kev

My Babies:

[PiscesGlass]

  
My name is Denise and I began in SG after also taking an evening adult ed class, needless to say we were hooked from the first class and then started spending money like drunk sailors on holiday to satisfy our tool craving...I still don't have all the fun tools that I'd like but...I'm hopeful.  I'm currently designing all of my own patterns and hoping to create many of them for the shows that I do.  I also own a small studio, teach classes and take on commission work!

I live in Maine, have two children and two beautiful grandchildren, ages 9 and 6 mos, who provide me with lots of love and much laughter!  I've also been owned by many animals over the years, horses, dogs and cats, currently I'm owned (and loved) by three beautiful Staffordshire Terriers, from 14 yrs to 7 mos and believe me they constantly provide me with laughter!

I will tell you that this forum and all of the others that I currently belong to are as completely addictive as the stained glass and I'm very glad that I found them as they've encouraged me to grow in all areas of my life, but particularly my artistic side.  I've learned more about what I am capable of in this art/craft in the last few years as a direct result of participating in the forums...and met some exceptional people.  I KNOW that you'll enjoy your stay just as much as I have!

De

[Alan]

 

Some 11 years ago, I needed to have some stress relief, and as I was driving by the local stained glass shop, my wife said - "Let's stop in there and see what they have for our front room window". So we stopped in, and quickly realized that they were not that kind of store, yes they do commission work, and the owner said "Why pay us when you can do it yourself?" So I signed up for a 6 week lesson course and the rest as they say is history. I'm totally addicted to doing glass and as soon as I can (as shown by my signature) I hope to do nothing but glass after playing around with computers for more than 40 years.

[Graham]

playing around with computers for more than 40 years.

The beads on that 40 year old computer must be worn pretty damned smooth by now, eh.

[Audrey]

 
I started college as an art major, but though my high school art teacher encouraged me, my college professor didn't care for my paintings, so I changed majors. I painted a few pictures in the early years of my marraige and enjoyed various crafts, though never had one particular one. Many years ago I thought stained glass would be fun and bought a Tiffany light kit. I knew nothing about it and couldn't figure out how to put it together. For years I have been desperate for an artistic outlet. Eventually one of my friends took stained glass classes and I was envious. I had no time for classes. Later another friend got heavily into mosaics and her husband began stained glass. All I knew from them is that it took a lot of expensive equipment. I felt like I was dying inside without something I could really get into.  Christmas '07 my husband had no idea what to get me, so his friend, the husband, suggested he start me in glass and helped him order what I would need to start. Needless to say I was totally shocked on Christmas morning. That was the last thing I expected, and possibly the best gift ever. My husband had no idea he was provoking me to break us financially. It took 3 months before either friend found time to teach me what to do, but last March my addiction began. From that day on I couldn't stop. I am already running out of windows with enough light to hang panels in where I could see them. It is hard for me to part with any of my work, but I am giving a couple early pieces that I can live without to have room for better quality work.  I guess I need to start other types of glass projects. I want to do a couple of my kitchen cabinet doors, but I want to learn to do lead before tackling that. Is there such a thing as too much stained glass in a house???
   Our only glass store is about 40 minutes away and they don't have a lot except for glass, which is all mixed together in bins so I have no idea of brand or color name. I like to support them when I am over that way, but have to get most of my supplies on line.

[Rebecca]

Is there such a thing as too much stained glass in a house???
   

Surely you jest!  If there is such a thing, you're in the wrong place to find out.

I was laid off (for the second time) in 1999 and the company I worked for had job re-training money.  I spent some of it on computer classes and some of it on stained glass classes.  I couldn't stop doing stained glass and ALL of my other interests were pushed aside.  After two more lay offs, I started a small retail shop.  I can't imagine doing anything else.  I really thought I liked my former jobs, but I could imagine retiring from them.  I can't imagine not working with glass. 

Rebecca

[Brad_B]

Hello All!

My name is Brad. I started out in stained glass 28 years ago when I was a high school drop out. My older brother told me to go back to school so I took a stained glass course. Never heard of it before but sounded interesting. I started off as the worst one in my class. Taking 2.5 weeks to complete a butterfly. I now teach, have been doing custom work for 25 years through word of mouth and now have finally started to take the plunge and go at it full time. Cherub Glass Works is my company name. Located in the bustling town of Baden, Ontario. I have done glass blowing and hope to be setting up my studio with a new kiln and torch this spring.

I snoop around here all the time but say little. I will post some of my work as soon as I find what I did with those pics! 

p.s. I completed high school finally.

[Tre V]

My turn.

I grew up in the desert outside of Bakersfield, and moved up to the San Jose area in the pre-teen years. Talk about culture shock! At the time, San Jose was a middle sized city surrounded by fruit orchards. You haven't lived until you've pitted apricots by hand in the summer heat (think sticky juice to the elbows, flies and wasps) for 35 cents a crate.
That was a motivator for college. After college, and a bunch of boring stuff, I got a job as an emergency services dispatcher, and that was that for about 27 years     . I was blessed in being able to retire at a relatively young age, and my husband and I fled the Bay Area for Washington..equity refugees.  I knew I wanted to do something fun and absorbing now that I finally had time to do what I wanted..but what?
   Since as a kid, I had always been told that art classes were a waste of time and wouldn't make me a living, I had never explored that aspect of myself. I can't draw. I don't have any color sense.  Well, heck. Let's do that! Now I live an hour away from everything, so finding instructors, classes or supplies is a challange.  But a local woman, DeDee Stewart (now Crouse) was teaching One Stroke and Bob Ross painting. Cool! And if I mess up, nobody dies. Well it was a blast, mostly because of DeDee. I found I didn't want to paint Bob's trees and mountains, I wanted to paint my own, so I started taking photos and seeing if I could paint those. So, ok, I'm not very good..I'm having fun.
Well, DeDee up and moved on me..to New York state..someplace south of Buffalo.
That's a little far for classes.
     I had always been intrigued by glass. When I was in high school, there was a studio nearby, and I would bike over and stare in the window, too shy to go in. They must have thought I was a nut. Anyway, about a two years ago I ordered some stuff on the internet and tried to teach myself..not a good idea. So I found some classes in Astoria, which helped, found some classes in Vancouver (2 hrs each way) which helped some more, and I'm off.
    It's still rough stuff. I still have a ton to learn. I still give most of my things away, and have friends and family that don't laugh out loud. But it's getting better. I'm starting to make my own patterns, mostly drawn from photographs. Now it's to the point where the new house will have a glass room (shared by something superficial like laundry). It absorbs me, and when I'm in the middle of a project, the dog and cats are lucky to get fed. The nearest town (pop. 500) is in desperate financial straits. Once I get my skill level up and a little confidence, I may open a part time studio on main street just to stimulate vitality. Not teaching..I don't have the patience.I wouldn't have to make enough to support myself, just enough to pay the rent and electricity. Besides it'll keep me off the streets!
     I am so grateful for the generous folks on this and other forums. They share their knowledge, offer advise, and voice opinions just like family. And just like family, they don't snicker to your face. I have learned so much from them.  Now if they could only come on over to my house and teach me to solder smoothly!   
                                            Theresa

[Elena]

Hi:  I lurk on SGV, warmglass, warner-criv, silicon folly, and stainedglasstownsquare.  All of these sites are super and the sponsors generous.  Whenever I know anything - try to comment.   My husband and I live in Woodbridge, VA, with one married daughter in Fredericksburg, VA, and two other married daughters, and our three grandchildren, in Austin, TX.  I've always done something with art even if it was just cutting up bottles to make glasses way back in the 1970s.  Still cut up bottles for 3-D sculptures!  From there spent years doing papier mache', drawing, sewing, crocheting, crafts, etc., in-between working full time, raising 3 wonderful children, and going to night school.  Seven years ago took a stained glass class sponsored by the community college.  The teacher, Jeannie Dunivin, was terrific, and in 6 classes covered lead, foil, and etching!  From there took classes in lampmaking, advanced design, glass painting, lead construction, and fusing/slumping.  Also keep up with the regular art classes and have finished two semesters of design, two of oil painting, two of drawing, and multiple little seminars in watercolor and pottery.  Am a member of a local artists' cooperative.  Have always loved glass.  Only wish we could live at least 200 years in order to have time to learn and do it all.  Started doing fused glass 5 years with a used ceramic kiln with a broken kiln sitter.  Learned from Brad Walker's book.  Think things are going well until I see the work on warmglass.  Those people are my fused art inspirations.  For painting and stained glass pattern design, my inspiration right now is Chantel.  I usually draw my designs and then import them into GlassEye.  Am a quarter of the way through the Painter X book and am also trying to learn Adobe Elements.  Want to try fusing designs using fusible photo paper, but want the designs to be worthwhile.  Whew, that's enough.  From this you can see I have a compulsive personality without enough time to pursue everything. 

[JoanFrances]

Hi:  I lurk on SGV, warmglass, warner-criv, silicon folly, and stainedglasstownsquare.  All of these sites are super and the sponsors generous.  Whenever I know anything - try to comment.   My husband and I live in Woodbridge, VA, with one married daughter in Fredericksburg, VA, and two other married daughters, and our three grandchildren, in Austin, TX.  I've always done something with art even if it was just cutting up bottles to make glasses way back in the 1970s.  Still cut up bottles for 3-D sculptures!  From there spent years doing papier mache', drawing, sewing, crocheting, crafts, etc., in-between working full time, raising 3 wonderful children, and going to night school.  Seven years ago took a stained glass class sponsored by the community college.  The teacher, Jeannie Dunivin, was terrific, and in 6 classes covered lead, foil, and etching!  From there took classes in lampmaking, advanced design, glass painting, lead construction, and fusing/slumping.  Also keep up with the regular art classes and have finished two semesters of design, two of oil painting, two of drawing, and multiple little seminars in watercolor and pottery.  Am a member of a local artists' cooperative.  Have always loved glass.  Only wish we could live at least 200 years in order to have time to learn and do it all.  Started doing fused glass 5 years with a used ceramic kiln with a broken kiln sitter.  Learned from Brad Walker's book.  Think things are going well until I see the work on warmglass.  Those people are my fused art inspirations.  For painting and stained glass pattern design, my inspiration right now is Chantel.  I usually draw my designs and then import them into GlassEye.  Am a quarter of the way through the Painter X book and am also trying to learn Adobe Elements.  Want to try fusing designs using fusible photo paper, but want the designs to be worthwhile.  Whew, that's enough.  From this you can see I have a compulsive personality without enough time to pursue everything. 

   Elena, it is sure nice to meet you.  We are sooooooo happy    you have joined our glassing family.  We love questions, so ask away any time you feel the need. With all your different interests, you fit right in.  I taught ceramics for 7 years before finding this wonderful addiction.

We also love pictures, so please do share your finished work with us. 

[Kev]

I have to say, this topic is awesome! What a wonderful way to get to know people, their backgrounds and their interests. I have really enjoyed reading everyone's stories. Thanks guys for making this such a wonderful read, and a wonderful forum.

You guys rock!

Kev

[Bleedy Pokes]

I'm going to jump in with my introduction now!

My name is Gwen, and I'm a glassaholic. I took a stained glass class back in 1994, I was 17-18 years old, always grounded and the only time I got out of the house was for extra-curricular activities (please understand that I was not a bad girl, but I was the oldest of a handful of girls and I was just breaking in my parents so that my sisters would have it easier as teenagers). I only completed one project, and if my parents had a bunch more money, I'd have done a bunch more glass! I loved it! But alas, my short attention span focused on something else when the class was over. It happens.

In 2006 I quit my job as a housing and financial counselor (boy, they could use me now!) because I hated the atmosphere I worked in, and decided that if I was going to be a stay-home mom, I better have a hobby to keep me busy for the 6 1/2 hours that my son was in school. The family took a trip to Hobby Lobby for some emergency oil paint for my husband, and I saw they had enough glass supplies to get me off the ground. My husband urged me to buy what I needed to get started... and I started! And quit! And started again! And quit again! I just couldn't get the hang of it. Patience isn't always my strong suit. So all those tools sat dormant in my basement for a year.

And then in 2007... my best friend asked if I was getting any use out of all those tools I bought. I told her they were collecting dust in the basement. She said she'd love it if I could do a design in stained glass for her boyfriend as a Christmas gift. Oh my, a challenge! What she didn't know was that she was daring me to actually finish something that I started! So I worked out the design (horrible, now that I look back on it!) got my supplies and got started. And then quit! I don't know why I thought that a class I took 13 years previous would just come back to me. Fortunately, I got online, searched for some forums, found one that had all the information I needed and got that sucker done! And in plenty of time for Christmas!

Since then, I've been stuck on glass (and glass has been stuck in me... hence the handle "Bleedy Pokes") and I'm constantly dreaming up ideas of what to do next. Unfortunately, I've got more ideas than time. But as long as I've got something in the works, I'm happy. And my family is happy to be rid of me on weekend mornings when I'm down in the glasshole. It's a strange addiction, but I sure do love it!

Outside of glass? I'm a fabulous mom, perfect wife, spectacular aunt, awesome big sister, favorite daughter, bestest friend, most fun baby sitter and I'm humble, to boot!

It's been great reading about everyone else, I hope to read some more!

[Kev]

Good job Gwen! I'm glad you stuck it out with glass, and happy to see you here.

Kev

[JoanFrances]

I'm going to jump in with my introduction now!

My name is Gwen, and I'm a glassaholic. I took a stained glass class back in 1994, I was 17-18 years old, always grounded and the only time I got out of the house was for extra-curricular activities (please understand that I was not a bad girl, but I was the oldest of a handful of girls and I was just breaking in my parents so that my sisters would have it easier as teenagers). I only completed one project, and if my parents had a bunch more money, I'd have done a bunch more glass! I loved it! But alas, my short attention span focused on something else when the class was over. It happens.

In 2006 I quit my job as a housing and financial counselor (boy, they could use me now!) because I hated the atmosphere I worked in, and decided that if I was going to be a stay-home mom, I better have a hobby to keep me busy for the 6 1/2 hours that my son was in school. The family took a trip to Hobby Lobby for some emergency oil paint for my husband, and I saw they had enough glass supplies to get me off the ground. My husband urged me to buy what I needed to get started... and I started! And quit! And started again! And quit again! I just couldn't get the hang of it. Patience isn't always my strong suit. So all those tools sat dormant in my basement for a year.

And then in 2007... my best friend asked if I was getting any use out of all those tools I bought. I told her they were collecting dust in the basement. She said she'd love it if I could do a design in stained glass for her boyfriend as a Christmas gift. Oh my, a challenge! What she didn't know was that she was daring me to actually finish something that I started! So I worked out the design (horrible, now that I look back on it!) got my supplies and got started. And then quit! I don't know why I thought that a class I took 13 years previous would just come back to me. Fortunately, I got online, searched for some forums, found one that had all the information I needed and got that sucker done! And in plenty of time for Christmas!

Since then, I've been stuck on glass (and glass has been stuck in me... hence the handle "Bleedy Pokes") and I'm constantly dreaming up ideas of what to do next. Unfortunately, I've got more ideas than time. But as long as I've got something in the works, I'm happy. And my family is happy to be rid of me on weekend mornings when I'm down in the glasshole. It's a strange addiction, but I sure do love it!

Outside of glass? I'm a fabulous mom, perfect wife, spectacular aunt, awesome big sister, favorite daughter, bestest friend, most fun baby sitter and I'm humble, to boot!

It's been great reading about everyone else, I hope to read some more!

Gwen you forgot to add you have a wonderful sense of humor too.  Happy that you decided to give it a third try, bet you are too. 

[ct4mom]

This is so much fun reading everyones stories. What a great way to get to know everyone. I hope more jump in.
 

[dusty]

Hi ,
I Call myself "McCook Lake Stained Glass" in McCook Lake South Dakota.
I started doing stained glass in the 70s.
It has been a fun and sometimes profitable enterprise.
Recently it is mostly hobby.
Dusty