If a search for "fine crafts"
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The
ultimate goal of the fine craftsperson, like the fine artist,
is to create something that will captivate, evoke, enthrall, or in some
other way stimulate the viewer. This is accomplished by coming up with
fresh ideas or designs, and then executing them with a precise control
over the medium (even though the outcome may look very random and
imprecise). In any artistic medium there is an art
to designing projects, and a craft to bringing off
that aim at the highest level. There is an art to designing a stained
glass window, just as there is a craft to laying down paint on a
canvas. Stained glass, throughout its history, has been elevated to the
realm of fine art and plunged into the obscurity of everyday
architectural decoration. Currently, its reputation resides somewhere
between these two extremes, having almost limitless potential to
compete with other forms of fine art and fine craft, yet being kept
from doing so in large part because of many non-professionals
(hobbyists) seeking a vocation in either making or teaching stained
glass, and thus diluting the medium with shoddy craftsmanship and
non-original design.
Fine craft refers to the best that can be achieved within any craft medium, and is invariably a balance between artistic expression and superlative technique. It has, for a long time, been very saddening to me that so much of the stained glass I see is poorly designed and poorly crafted. While every medium has its place for fledgling artisans who are still struggling with becoming good at either the design process or the craft itself, not every medium has been swamped with so many self-professed "professionals" who are in business long before they have mastered the craft. It is my hope to be of help to both consumers and stained glass artists when I speak out about the need for a higher standard of design and craftsmanship in this medium as a whole. I hope that stained glass will once again be revered for its artistic potential and that its reputation will rise to the point where the multitude of contemporary glass galleries that have chosen to stop showing stained glass in the last two decades will see fit to reverse that decision and display all of the artistic mediums known collectively as "Art Glass".
If you're thinking of having a stained glass or beveled glass artwork made, you may be seeking out glass artists on the Internet, or getting quotes from artists or studios that are in your locality. Whatever you do, proceed carefully! The two major pitfalls you'll want to be on the lookout for are poor craftsmanship and poor design! There are a lot of stained glass studios and individual stained glass artists whose craftsmanship ranges between just fair and poor, and too many who do not even try to come up with original designs. Remember that the best quality work is [1] innovative and original in design, and [2] crafted cleanly and precisely. I won't speak further about original design here because good design is purely subjective and each of us knows what she or he likes. Craftsmanship, however, can be assessed and rated using objective criteria, thus allowing the consumer to learn what to look for. This page is designed to alert you to some of the pitfalls of poor craftsmanship and to educate you concerning what good craftsmanship looks like.
This page is also a good source of information for people wanting to select a good teacher of stained glass. If you can't find a good teacher in your area, you may want to buy my set of videos titled "Mastering the Art of Stained Glass". Click here to read more about that.
Note: I've heard from a number of glass artists, both hobbyists and professionals, who have emailed me stating that this page offends them. If this is you, I welcome your comments, although I've heard it all before. If you're offended by this page, then you're probably among the group of glass artists who have the lazy or hurried attitudes that lead to the kinds of bad craftsmanship that I will be describing on this page. It's your choice to approach this craft with any attitude you like, but it's also a valid choice for those who pay good money for this art form to educate themselves and choose an artist wisely. We who care enough to remain in the process of improving our technique charge the same amount of money for our artworks, on average, as those artisans who just want to "crank it out" as quickly as possible. Besides, the number of thank-you emails I get from glass artists and people about to go shopping for a stained glass artist have far outweighed the emails from the offended, so this page definitely serves it's purpose. Also, artists in stained and beveled glass can use this information to identify areas where their attitude and their skills can be improved, leading to higher artistic satisfaction and an increased competitive edge when bidding for stained glass projects. And if you REALLY want to improve your skill level, you can read about my instructional set of DVDs here.
Precision craftsmanship in stained glass is a necessary part of of this medium. Poorly crafted stained glass may start to show structural problems in as little as a few years. Well-crafted work should last many decades with no structural problems. If you've ever seen windows in churches or restaurants that have begun to "sag" (bow out of shape) or separate (light coming through where it should not), you've seen the results of time and gravity working on poor craftsmanship. Poor craftsmanship also looks imprecise, sloppy, and disjointed up close. Well crafted stained or beveled glass looks clean and precise.
Good craftsmanship is a product of two things, attitude and practice. The fine craftsperson has an attitude that settles for nothing less than perfection, and is willing to develop and/or continually refine his or her techniques toward that end. With this attitude firmly in place, it's just a matter of endless practice. The consumer should be wary of hobbyists who set themselves up as "professionals" after only a few months or years of working in the medium. Everyone has the right to go into the business of craft, but the savvy consumer will soon realize that they are free to interview and choose who will craft the artworks that they will pay good money for and be "stuck" with for a long time.
P.S. The best craftspeople usually charge about the same as everyone else, and they will rarely take on a challenge that is clearly beyond their abilities as I have witnessed some poor craftspeople do.
The following are descriptions of what to look for...
Copper foil is one method for holding the glass securely in place. It entails surrounding each piece of glass separately with copper foil - a pure copper tape that's sticky on one side - then soldering over all of the copper foil to "weld" together the structure that securely holds the pieces of glass. The sticky side of the copper foil tape is pressed to the glass, and the excess tape that sticks out above and below the upper and lower surfaces of the glass is bent down onto those surfaces, forming the "channel" that holds the glass.
Copper foil tape comes in a variety of widths, allowing for more or less "overhang," which translates into a deeper or shallower channel and appears in the final artwork as a thicker or thinner leadline (Note: the lines between adjacent pieces of glass are referred to as leadlines regardless of whether we're talking about the lead or the copper foil method of holding the glass pieces together.) Because each piece of glass is surrounded with copper foil separately, all of the copper must be covered with a "bead" of solder, i.e., the entire leadline is covered, front and back, with solder. If there are gaps between one piece of glass and the next (due to imprecise cutting of the glass), these gaps become filled with solder, too, resulting in leadlines that are thicker than where the glass pieces fit precisely next to one another. Although some amount of variation in the width of the leadlines can add a positive artistic effect (such as with flowers, birds and such), too much variation is a sign of poor cutting of the glass and is especially detracting with geometric shapes, straight lines, etc.
Here is a list of what to look for in a well crafted piece of copper foiled stained glass.
1) The copper foil "leadlines" display a uniformity of width. As per the discussion of the copper foil method above, precision cutting of the glass and precision laying down of the foil onto the glass has resulted in leadlines that [1] vary only slightly in width throughout the artwork as a whole, and [2] show almost no variance in width from one end to the other of any single leadline. When assessing the level of craftsmanship of a stained or beveled glass artwork that has been copper foiled, look closely at straight lines and simple geometric shapes such as circles, rectangles, ovals, paisleys, etc. Straight lines should be perfectly straight and show almost no variance in leadline width... curves should be smoothly curved... circles should be perfectly circular, and the variance between the thinnest and the thickest leadlines should be minimal unless the artist has obviously chosen to create different widths for artistic effect (if you have any doubt about whether it was the artist's intention to utilize different leadline widths or simply a lack of skill on his or her part, ask to see other artworks).
2) The presence of very thin leadlines (as well as thick ones). One of the biggest advantages of using copper foil over lead as a method of holding the glass is that with copper foil the artisan can create very thin leadlines (Lead has its advantages, too, which will be explained farther down on this page). The smallest lead commercially available gives a leadline that is uniformly 1/8th of an inch wide. Copper foil can give leadlines that are much thinner than 1/8th inch. Achieving very thin copper foiled leadlines requires both precision cutting of the glass and precision laying down of the copper foil onto the glass using a copper tape that is only slightly wider than the thickness of the glass. If an artist shows you a piece that has only relatively thick leadlines (which is only necessary in artworks that are very large in size and very simple in design), ask to see other works with thinner copper foiled leadlines.
3) A solder bead that is smooth, especially [a] on long uninterrupted copper foiled leadlines and [b] where two or more leadlines meet. This may not apply where the artist has meant to add some decorative soldering. However, beware of artisans claiming that poor soldering is "meant to be decorative"... once you've seen a good example of smooth soldering, you'll soon learn to tell the difference. When in doubt, ask to see other artworks.
4) A uniform appearance of the patina (if one is applied). This is a chemical solution that turns the dull-silver colored solder to a copper, brass, green, or charcoal gray color (the last is my favorite, artistically). Poor craftsmanship here appears as a blotchy or uneven look in the coloration of the leadlines, and probably results from insufficient cleaning of the artwork prior to the application of the patina or a poor method of applying the patina itself.
5) There are no copper foil "ends" showing. Since the copper foil tape is applied to the entire edge of each piece of glass, it must slightly overlap itself where it begins and ends its circumnavigation of each piece of glass. The absence of visible ends means that the copper foil is exactly lined up where this overlap occurs. The presence of visible ends is a sure sign of hurried craftsmanship. These can occur anywhere along the leadlines, as well as at the corners of a piece of glass.
6) There is no "backside" showing. If the foil is applied to the glass imprecisely, there will be places where more foil was flattened onto the underside of the glass (which becomes the back side of the artwork) than onto the topside of the glass (which becomes the front of the artwork). This allows the "backside" of the foil to show through on the front of the artwork, especially where clear or light colored glasses are used. This is readily noticeable because the "backside" is a bright copper color and shows up readily against the front of the leadlines, which have been covered with solder and maybe patina-ed, and therefore are no longer copper colored. Some artisans trim away this overhanging copper foil with a razor knife, which is okay, but time-consuming. I have developed my own technique whereby I foil every piece slightly more onto the topside than the underside of the glass, preventing the need for trimming and ensuring no "backside" showing through. (Will any artisan about to adopt this technique please send me $5 for all the time and effort I've just saved you... wink, wink.)
Lead is the other method of holding the glass securely in place. Leading requires more skill than copper foil since the pieces of glass and lead are fitted tightly together before beginning the soldering phase (as opposed to copper foiled pieces of glass, which are loose until the soldering phase is begun). Lead came is a pre-formed miniature I-beam of pure lead, a very soft metal that can be bent to follow the contours of the glass. The lead I-beam has two channels (channel one=>I<=channel two) in which the adjacent glass pieces are fitted. Lead requires soldering where one piece of lead touches another piece of lead, unlike copper foil, which must be soldered along the whole leadline. Lead, like copper foil, comes in different sizes. However, since the smallest commercially available lead is 1/8th of an inch wide, one can achieve thinner leadlines with copper foil than with lead. The major advantages of using lead over copper foil are [1] that leaded leadlines are perfectly uniform in width, which looks especially great with straight lines, geometric shapes, and symmetrical designs, and [2] that leading, once mastered, is much quicker than copper foiling, and can therefore significantly reduce the cost of a stained glass artwork. Leading requires greater glass-cutting skill because gaps between one piece of glass and another are not filled with solder as they are in the copper foil method (this is why almost all stained glass classes teach copper foiling before they teach leading, and many do not teach leading at all). When the gap between two adjacent pieces of glass becomes large enough, it will not be hidden by the channel of the lead came, and the raw edge of the glass will be visible to the viewer. Most of the time these flaws are not large enough to be visible, that is, the gap between the glass and the lead is still hidden by the lead channel. Additionally, these gaps are almost always hidden by the final stage of leading, applying the putty (puttying is not necessary with copper foil).
Leaded artworks sometimes have a special putty forced into the channels of the lead came. Since the channels are taller than the glass is thick (to accommodate glasses of varying thickness and/or glasses that are not perfectly flat), putty is necessary to create an airtight, weatherproof artwork. Putty is not required in a well-crafted artwork that is mounted in an interior fashion and does not need to be airtight. Putty is not required at all in copper foil since the copper tape sticks directly to the surface of the glass.
Puttying a stained or beveled glass artwork can be a way of hiding imprecise glass cutting or poor leading technique. Hidden, putty-filled gaps are the primary source of structural problems that occur after a few years. Gravity and changes in atmospheric conditions work relentlessly on the artwork, causing the putty to shift, crack, and crumble on a microscopic level, leading to visible bowing, sagging, and/or separating in the artwork. This is why precise technique throughout the leading process, resulting in glass butted up firmly and precisely to lead butted up firmly and precisely to the next piece of glass, is so crucial to the lifespan of the artwork.
Another obstacle in mastering the method of leading is learning to cut the lead accurately. Fortunately, imprecise cutting of the lead came is more noticeable than the putty-hidden gaps resulting from imprecise cutting of the glass. For that reason, we will focus more on imprecise leading than on imprecise glass cutting in discussing what to look for in a well crafted leaded artwork, since the average consumer never sees the project until after the puttying process has hidden flaws of that sort, if any exist. However, it is generally safe to assume that imprecise cutting of the lead may be indicative of bad craftsmanship in general, and that it may suggest the presence of imprecise cutting of the glass as well.
Here is what to look for in a well crafted piece of leaded stained glass or beveled glass.
1) Straight leadlines are perfectly straight and curved leadlines are smooth and precise. Since the lead came is bent to follow the edge of the glass, it can't be any more precise than the edge of the glass that it is shaped to. Straight lines or curved lines that "wobble" may indicate poor drafting abilities (i.e., poor mechanical drawing skills), poor glass cutting ability, and/or poor leading technique. Look closely at straight leadlines. Are they perfectly straight? Look closely at curved leadlines, especially a circle if one is present. Are the curved lines smoothly curved? Are the circles really true circles? In a well crafted stained or beveled glass artwork, they will look precise. Where they are not precise, hurried or lazy attitudes flourish.
2) Solder joints are smooth and relatively small. In other words, there are no long "arms" of solder trailing down one or more of the leadlines adjacent to a solder joint, and the joints are smooth in appearance. Don't let someone tell you long trailing arems of solder are done on purpose to add strength to the piece. While it may be done on purpose, it adds almost nothing to the strength of the artwork, and is often the sign of a craftsperson who [a] has yet to perfect her or his soldering technique, or [b] has a lazy or hurried attitude. This is not to be confused with an artisan who chooses to cover all of the leadlines with solder. Some think this gives a more uniform look (whether patina is applied or not). I think good soldering and good patina techniques make this unnecessary, but it is not necessarily a sign of poor craftsmanship. When in doubt, ask to see other artworks.
3) Where two leadlines cross each other, they match up both ways. Where there is imprecise cutting of the glass or lack of skill in constructing the leaded artwork (i.e., fitting the pieces of lead and glass together prior to soldering), there is often the case where one leadline "matches" (the one that is actually a single, or uncut, piece of lead) and the other doesn't "match" (the one that is actually two pieces of lead meeting at the single [uncut] piece of lead). Look for this as a sign of poor craftsmanship in all leaded pieces, but especially in pieces with lots of adjacent rectangles (such as in the border designs of many leaded glass artworks) or in artworks with lots of straight lines. Precise matching is even more difficult where the leadlines cross at angles other than 90 degrees, such as in a tight-fitting pattern of diamonds. See the figure below for the simplest of cases, where lines are meant to cross at 90 degrees.
4) Where two leadlines are meant to merge into one line, the juncture is visually smooth. Inability to cut a fine point on the lead came will result in a juncture that seems to have a "jag" in it, somewhat similar to what is seen with improperly aligned "ends" in the copper foil method. Some artisans try to cover this type of gap with solder, which is fine if they are skilled with a soldering iron. Unfortunately, the inability to cut a fine point on the lead is often coupled with a lack of soldering expertise, resulting in a choppy or jagged look upon close inspection (see the figure immediately below). Skilled craftspeople spend no more time (in fact, probably less) creating an artwork free of jags and gaps. That's why they can charge the same price for a well crafted artwork as poor craftspeople charge for a poorly crafted artwork.
5) Where the design includes finely pointed pieces of glass (possibly a mark of good design and craftsmanship in itself), there are no "jags" in the leading. This is similar to number 4, above, but I just wanted you to be aware of looking for it where one leadline meets another at a sharp point, regardless of whether the two leadlines were meant to merge into one or not. Some unskilled craftspeople try to avoid designs altogether that have sharply pointed pieces of glass in them.
6) Where putty has been applied, excess putty has been removed as much as possible. When an artwork is puttied, both surfaces (front and back) are completely covered with the soft putty. Then, the putty is forced into the channels of the lead came, usually with a stiff brush. Finally, after the proper amount of drying time, the excess putty is removed by a number of methods. Not removing enough putty causes the leadlines to look wider than is necessary and to vary in width, defeating the elegance of the precise uniformity of line width that is the hallmark of leaded artworks. It also makes corners look less sharp and pointed pieces look less pointed. Finally, not removing enough putty makes the artwork look less clean, overall. Too much putty on an artwork is a sign of bad attitude (laziness) and/or gaps from imprecise glass cutting that may have needed to be hidden from view.
Note: I started #6 by writing, "Where putty has been applied..." because no putty is required where the leaded artwork doesn't need to be airtight or weatherproof (such as an artwork that is meant to hang or be mounted in an existing window), and where no gaps need to be hidden. This is the case in many of the artworks that I create.
7) Where patina is applied, it looks uniform. See the item about patina in the copper foil section above for an explanation of this.
Note: Since applying patina to an artwork requires dousing the artwork with the liquid patina, this is usually done to artworks that have not been puttied.
1) Studios or individual stained glass artists who don't do leading. Some studios or individuals use copper foil on all projects. This is a red flag, in my opinion (not proof of poor craftsmanship, but worthy of further inquiry). This is often because almost all classes in stained glass teach copper foil first... it's easier for the student to do her or his first projects in copper foil, which is more "forgiving" with the imprecision of the novice craftsperson (filling the gaps with solder, etc.). Unfortunately, many craftspeople try leading and give up on it because of the added difficulty inherent in the construction or fitting process, and the greater glass-cutting precision required to make an artwork that will look good. While it does take more time, patience, attitude, and practice to learn the skill of leading, I think that it is a necessary part of becoming a professional in this medium. This is because all large residential, commercial, and liturgical stained or beveled glass panels should (in my opinion) be leaded. Copper foil should be used for large panels (about 4 square feet or greater) only where the design is very intricate (sometimes) or where the design contains spaces that are supposed to be filled with solder (an example is where small circles or glass nodules are bordered by straight lines).
When interviewing a studio or individual stained glass artist, always ask to see examples of both leaded and copper foiled artworks. If no leaded artworks are available, ask why. If the answer is that they don't do leading, ask why not. Combine that with the information presented here and you will know whether this is the artist or studio you want to pay to design and fabricate the artworks that will become a part of your home, office, or religious environment for a very long time.
2) Studios or individual stained glass artists who use lead or copper foil around the outside edge of a stained glass or beveled glass panel. Many glass artists use a soft metal like lead because [a] they know too little about proper reinforcement of the artworks they make, or [b] they aren't skilled enough to make the artwork come out square (or round or whatever), or [c] they aren't skilled enough to make the artwork come out the exact right size. Regardless of which of these reasons result in artworks edged in lead or copper foil, this is a giant red flag, in my opinion (the exception to this may be the tiny background-less skiers, sailboats, pieces of fruit, etc. known collectively as "suncatchers" that many glass artists [me included] make early in their glass-making careers and which a few artisans choose to make a full-time career of). Any artwork that has an area of more than one square foot or has an overall shape that is square, rectangular, circular, oval, octagonal, etc. should have a reinforced outer edge made out of some other metal than lead or copper foil. The most common option is zinc came, which comes in many "U" or single-channeled sizes (as opposed to the "H" or double-channeled type of came used for interior leadlines). Most "U" zinc cames have an enclosed air-filled space built in, adding even more strength. Brass is also an option here, but usually for smaller panels since most brass cames I've seen have no enclosed air-filled space.
The most common reason for using lead around the outside edge of a stained or beveled glass artwork is that the artisan cannot make the artwork the exact size it needs to be (poor mechanical drawing skills, poor glass cutting, poor leading or copper foiling, etc. all lead to an artwork that is "off" in size if not in other ways too). Lead around the outside edge, especially double-channeled or "H" lead cames) allow the artisan to shave down or hammer down the overall size of the artwork at the time of installation. Unfortunately, this results in an artwork that has all of it's weight on a soft metal "H". Over time, the bottom channel will compress, allowing the artwork to sink down within the space in which it is installed. This results in the outer edge showing more at the top of the artwork than at the bottom. I have even seen a visible gap at the top of an installed artwork where the artwork has sunk low enough to reveal its entire upper edge and more. Here the word "installed" refers to artworks that are mounted in a wood or metal frame as well as those mounted in an actual window.
For hanging artworks that have no wood or metal frame, a reinforced edge is particularly important. Here, a lead or copper foil edge will usually result in the artwork sagging out of shape over time until gaps of light are visible within the interior of the artwork or around its edge. This is a fairly good indicator of either a poor attitude ("...it's cheaper and I'll sell the artwork long before the flaws show up.") or a craftsperson who has started selling his or her artworks before learning enough about the craft. Again, ask questions!
3) When a mounted artwork has a came around its outer edge that is too large to be fully hidden by the frame or molding that holds it in place. This can be found in both hanging and mounted artworks. Although this last item may be just a matter of taste, it may also be an indicator of poor craftsmanship. Here the edge came can be seen sticking out beyond the wood or metal in which it's mounted. I think this looks bad artistically, so I always use a 1/2 inch "U" zinc edging where a 5/8 or 3/4 inch molding will hold the artwork in place, or a 1/4 inch "U" zinc edging where a 3/8 inch molding will hold the artwork in place, etc. Since I make all of my pieces to be exactly 1/16 of an inch smaller than the opening in which they will be mounted, none of the edging came shows (especially at the top of the artwork). Some artists may do this because they think it looks best for the edging to show, but this may also be the work of an artisan who cannot make the artwork come out the right size, and so uses a soft lead edge around the artwork (see #2 just above). Once again, find out why the artist does this and don't hesitate to "read between the lines" of what the artist is telling you.
Well, that's about it. I've probably forgotten something, but this should be enough to help you choose a skilled glass craftsperson or studio (and to impress your friends at the next cocktail party where stained glass technique comes up). If you wish, you may contact me (here) to ask a clarifying question.
Remember, there are far too many inexperienced glass "hobbyists" parading as professional artisans. I can't tell you how many people have seen my work at craft fairs and whine to me about the art glass commission they had done for their home or office that's falling apart or just isn't up to the level of my work (and for which they paid the same as I would have charged them). Be wary! Be willing to ask informed questions. Ask to see both leaded and copper foiled examples of the work of an artisan before commissioning an artwork. Be willing to shop around. Be assured of the craftsmanship as well as the design abilities of an artisan before proceeding with a commission or purchasing a ready-made artwork. There are artisans out there who have good artistic ideas and drawing capabilities, but poor craftsmanship. There are also those who craft well but whose art is borrowed rather than original. You deserve both original design and good craftsmanship. Be sure, before you "sign on the dotted line." I hope this has helped... Good luck.
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