When Betty brought in a picture and asked if it was possible to do a window similar to it we all told her that the picture was made through AI. There were plenty of impossible cuts and coloration that's downright impossible to do with real glass. That said, we drew out a pattern based on the AI design and then made modifications throughout it until she ended up with this gorgeous window! It would appear that AI has a purpose in stained glass after all.
When Linda brought in a picture and asked if it were possible to do a Hoop design similar to it she was also informed that what she was looking at was generated through AI. Yet again we used that for inspiration and made a pattern that was not only possible but extremely precious as well. Like Betty's Blue Rose, Linda's Bluejay Hoop turned out absolutely lovely!
Lorrie's Turtle Window was completed and it really lit up beautifully once it was off of the table. The Starfish that was barely apparent is now 100% visible against the brown sea floor. The green leaves stand out perfectly in the water, the shell of the turtle is made of a beautiful mottled green glass and the eye of the turtle is absolutely stunning!
Here's a closeup of the Turtle's eye.
When Kandise began making this Peacock she wanted something that would simply hang in a window. When she wanted it larger I was concerned about how it would hang because of all of the weight the larger pieces would add. When she asked if we could put it in a hoop I initially thought that there was no way it would fit since it had to span 8 inches along two joint sections that we did not plan for this. Low and behold, in the end it worked perfectly and this bird not only looks stunning but is as sturdy as it could ever hoop to be. (Dad-jokes abound with me.)
Martha's Rose In A Cross is spectacular because of her use of bevels and clear textured glass. The Rose is so prominent in front of all of the clear textures that you can't help but look again to see just what else is included in this finished piece! She'll be started a very similar pattern next week.
Let was as busy as a bee turning out 3 completed projects in one class. The first is this Stylized Heart design that she embellished with solder dots throughout the lead lines. It's a tedious process but the end result makes up for the time well spent working in all of that detail.
This stylish Art Nouveau window is the second of Let's finished pieces and her use of color and her mastery of symmetry makes it a standout for sure.
Then Let went ahead and made this Flower in a Heart design which she also accessorized with dotted drops of solder as well as scalloped foil around the outside edges.
This week Cheryl finished her second Bevel Cross using a bevels for both the cross itself as well as the corners of the border. The background was made from wispy white glass while the border was cut from a pure solid white sheet. Stunning.
Oh look, a Butterfly! That can only mean one thing--we have a 'new' student! Actually Catherine made a window with us way back in 2009 so technically she's not new and her precision cutting and grinding on this shows that she obviously paid attention the first time around! Expect to see her begin a full fledged window next week.
Hoops are becoming fashionable again as Lorrie has decided to tackle the Lady In a Bathtub pattern that I had modified to be made in a hoop. It's simple enough but it does require some accurate cutting and grinding so that everything lines up correctly. I have no doubt that Lorrie will handle it wonderfully.
Elaine has elected to make a series of Suncatchers which she will string together to form one coherent piece when she's completed them all. That's thinking outside the box and that's what I like! In just one class she's managed to cut, grind, and foil this first flower. This will be finished in minutes upon her return!
After the work on her Peacock was done Kandise decided to cut and grind this highly stylized Musical Treble Clef. I have to admit that I love this design and can't wait to see it hanging!
Bee's Iris Window is all cut out save for the border(s). The only thing left for her to grind is the clear textured background glass that she picked and cut with the greatest of ease. The pattern doesn't show a border but I'm going to press her to do a double border on this because I've seen it done both ways and believe that it lacks something with just a single border.
Susan D is building a wooden Bird House but is switching up the original design by making two small glass flaps on each side that will allow her to get into the house. Then, as the coup de grace, Susan will add a slanted roof made entirely of glass. Expect to see said glass next week as she works on shingling her roof.
Julie got her flowers tacked together and then set forth on filling in their centers with small circular yellow florets which she cut, ground and foiled with complete ease. We didn't have the glass she wanted for her background (yet) so she then worked on cutting, grinding and foiling the first of her two borders! Now that's what I call progress.
Linda F has redesigned the mushrooms in the bottom right of her Vegetable Window and now there's no mistaking what they are. Most people just stick with what a pattern shows even if they feel it's off but I always say, "CHANGE IT!" which is exactly what Linda did here. I re-adjust patterns all the time especially when I do one a second time which is what's happening here since Linda has made this once before. Now that her green border has been cut she'll be ready to solder this before you know it.
And speaking of refining stained glass patterns, Lara's re-cut flower petal already looks better to me. She's grinding everything now and as you can see the lower portion fits together beautifully.
Wow, I just love the assorted pinks that Keri has used throughout her Flower Window. I'm not entirely sure but I believe they might be Peonies. No matter what they are technically named they sure do prove that using multiple, similar colors throughout a flower helps to give it a huge boost of realism.
This is the second of three Rain Gauges that Susan R is making. She has the first one soldered but I still need to see how she wants these to be displayed. She can either hang them or put them in the ground on a stake. We'll get the answer to that burning question when she comes back into class.
MiMi is fully seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! In fact, it barely seems to be a tunnel because she's that far out already when it comes to soldering the inside of her lamp.
And in the end, Cheryl has all of her background ground and also has all but one piece left to foil. That means that she'll get her final border on this when she comes back in next week. This is looking really good!
And with all of that the only left to say is, "Stay glassy!"
Paul
