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About
Mark Stine and
Transparent Dreams Stained Glass
 
Mark
Ponder
My name is Mark Stine. I am the driving
force behind
Transparent Dreams Stained Glass Studio in Denver, Colorado.
I have undergraduate degrees in Microbiology and Psychology and a
Masters in Social Work, but my first
choice has always been to work as a glass artist, which I have done
almost full-time since 1975.
When I was eleven, my
father and two of my uncles decided to take a class in stained glass. At
first, stained
glass is a frustrating hobby
requiring a lot of patience
and practice. My father and one of my uncles quit the class before it
ended. The other uncle finished the class and made stained glass
suncatchers, lampshades, and 3D objects for a number of years until, he
too, stopped working in stained glass (today he does hot glass, mostly
fusing, combined with photographic techniques, which you could see here.)
One day, I was too sick to go on a family
outing, so I went to spend the day at my uncle's house. He helped me to
make my first stained glass artwork (thanks Uncle Ted!), which had only
2 pieces of glass in it! I was hooked! I went home and commandeered my
father's tools and supplies and an artwork-in-progress (the class was still going on, but my
father had already stopped going). I was given a small space in our
unfinished basement in which I could make a mess, and a card table to
work on.
My progress was probably slow compared to
most people who take up this hobby. At first, I made only suncatchers
(small hanging pieces depicting butterflies, sailboats, skiers,
etc). Later, I learned to make
lampshades and 3D objects. It was years later that I actually made an actual
stained glass "window," that is, a flat stained glass panel with a background that defined its overall shape.
By the time I was
in high school, I was selling some of my work, and by the time I was in
college, stained glass had become my only summer-time work (while
on summer break from studying microbiology). After college, I wasn't
quite ready to follow
through with my plan to go to medical
school, so I hit upon a make-stained-glass-until-I-went-broke plan, thinking
that I would soon be
financially forced to do something less enjoyable but more dependable. That never happened. And I fell in
love with the work itself.
In the years since college, I have been self-employed full-time as a
glass
artist (except for a part-time return to academia
- psychology and social work culminating in an MSW, thank you very
much! - between '92 and '97). Throughout my artistic career, I have had
the wonderful opportunity to make many thousands of stained glass
artworks, including windows,
lampshades, doors, ceilings, room dividers and more for many wonderful
people (including some very famous people). I have also created many
artworks that I have sold through galleries and at craft shows and
art glass shows. I have won many awards for my work, and I am proud to
say
that many stained glass artists who know me consider my craftsmanship
to be among the very finest.
Since 2008, I have also marketed a comprehensive set of DVDs that teaches
all that I have learned about stained glass. This has been almost as rewarding
as my career as a glass artist because the feedback from people who have
purchased this set has been extremely positive. To read more about
this, visit my stained
glass class web page.
I certainly don't
do everything related to artistic glass. For instance, I don't work
with hot glass (glassblowing, beadmaking, fusing or slumping glass). I also don't do glass carving
(multi-stage sandblasting, generally on clear plate glass) or acid etching on
glass or glue-chipping on glass. I also do not make bevels, even though I use them frequently in my work.
Whenever a project calls for one of these glass specialties, I
am happy to collaborate with other artisans who have mastered these
techniques.
What I have "mastered" (I used quotes there because this is my biased
opinion - you can decide for yourself after a visit to my gallery) is
the art of designing and producing
stained glass panels and objects. I am one of the best stained glass
artists when it comes to precision craftsmanship. I also strive to
continually expand my artistic vision concerning stained glass. I
combine these qualities in every artwork and commission that I
undertake, whether large or small, whether expensive or not very. I have
been
fortunate enough to be honored by others in this profession.
My work differs from other stained glass artists in two significant
ways:
[1] My
craftsmanship is clean and precise. Straight lines are always perfectly
straight. Circles are always perfectly circular. Solder joints are
smooth and almost invisible regardless of whether or not patina is
applied. Size and shape are
always accurate in artworks that are to be installed. For a more
detailed explanation of what precision craftsmanship looks like and how
vitally important it is to the longevity of a stained glass artwork,
visit my Craftsmanship Page.
[2] The acquisition of precision crafting skills
has allowed my designs to become discernably clean and innovative. By
"clean", I mean that I have been able to adopt a style that has very
few of the extra background lines that are apparent in most other
stained glass artists' work. I can precisely cut and fit very oddly
shaped pieces of glass (without a diamond bandsaw!), allowing me
to design in a way that almost
every line is relevant to the design. This is all-too rare among
artists
who work in this medium, and it allows me to focus on pushing the
boundaries of stained glass design to more and more innovative heights.
These two qualities are far too rare among stained glass artists who
are professional, that is, who get paid for their work. Visit my online
gallery, then search online for other stained glass studios. I highly
recommend that you do this. How else can one evaluate
between visual artists in the same medium? And if that research
uncovers another artisan who is even better for your purposes than I,
then so be it.
I offer my
services worldwide. To date, I have completed projects all across the
continental United States and in Canada. Some clients I meet many
times, others I meet only once (usually for the installation) or not at
all (shipped the work and consulted from afar on the installation). I
have done custom work that was shipped as far away as
Dublin, Ireland. Although I would never hesitate to travel to meet with
a
client, to view an installation site, or to deliver and install a
project, I have tried to make this web site a wellspring of information
so that actually meeting with most clients is not required.
If you are considering having me make something in stained glass for
you, I suggest that you start by reading my Commission Process
web page. This will educate you about the process of ordering a custom
made artwork from me (or from any another stained glass artisan or
studio). This
page details the costs involved, the mounting options for permanently
mounted artworks, the methods for taking accurate
measurements, and the design options you'll want to consider when
giving me input about the stained glass or beveled glass you may want
to order. Once you have at least skimmed that web page, you
should be able to provide me with enough input that I can get back to
you with
suggestions, with an accurate estimate of the price, and with answers to any
questions you may still have.
Thank you for visiting my web site. I hope that you will go
away amazed at the artworks I have created and a more savvy
consumer of this wonderful - but often misunderstood - art form.
Sincerely,
Mark Stine |
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