From childhood I have been fascinated by stained glass windows in churches, railroad stations, or anywhere. To me stained glass is beautiful and its effect is mysterious. I have expored many different media in my art journey, and I have been excited about each in turn, but I continually come back to the awareness that stained glass is my true love in the realm of media.
I think that the reason for my continuing fascination for stained glass is the beauty of the transmitted light, which is changed by the glass as it passes through it, and which conveys a quality that touches the spirit. Abbot Suger of the Abbey of St. Denis in France during the twelfth century said that stained glass was “enlightenment embodied”. He said of the cathedrals adorned by the glass and other artwork, “The noble work is bright, but being nobly bright, the work should brighten the minds, allowing them to travel through the lights to the true light...”
Each time I near completion of a project, I wait for the moment when I can lift it off my work table and hold it up see how it looks in the natural light. It is my hope that my artwork will create that same kind of moment for the person who sees the light transmitted through it. I want to convey the visual and ideological ideas within a framework that draws the eye and holds it to take in the detail and beauty.
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