I designed these custom stained glass mosaic panels as a memorial for a family in Clinton, NC to honor their mother. She was very involved with her church choir particularly with the children. This was created to hang on the wall behind the choir and behind the pulpit.

One of the  challenges was to create a scene that would show without light coming through the glass. An additional challenge was create something large enough that it wouldn’t get lost on a 12 foot wall. I worked with my customers to create this scene and we decided that the medium of mosaic glass would be very effective.

Here you can see Heather placing the mosaic stained glass pieces in place.

Each panel was 44 inches high by 22 inches wide and will be installed with approximately 8 inches between each panel. This will show very nicely on a 12 foot wide wall.

I used a variety of stained glass to create depth in this scene. Uroborous, Yoghigeny, Kokomo, and Wissmach to name a few. I used both cut pieces of glass and mosaic techniques to create the scenes. Black grout was used to make it all pop!

Here you can see a variety of glass used in these panels. This is before we grouted the piece.

We really enjoyed creating these panels for Karen Carter and her family.  Below are some more pictures of this work in progress.

It doesn't look pretty at this stage - the grout covers all that pretty glass.

Here you can see the grout has been worked in between the stained glass pieces.

Finally, here is a picture of the three panel before installation.  I got in the picture so you can see the full scale of the work!

Wow! Taken all together the stained glass mosaic panels are quite large.

And, Ta Da!  Here is the completed piece hanging in the church!

Installed Custom Stained Glass Mosaic Panels.

Thanks again for visiting my website.  If you made it this far, why not share a comment below and let me know what you think about the results.  Of course, you are welcome to ask questions too.

This big piece was created on a piece of MDF board approximately 24×36.  I incorporated several techniques to achieve a three dimensional affect. This piece has roughly 450 pieces and 4 to 5 lbs of solder.  The board was covered in copper sheets and the four corners were created using traditional stained glass techniques. The background was covered in solder as were the edges of the board. The “floating” flowers were constructed as free form pieces and then tack soldered to the solder field in the center.   I added some wire work and jewels to complete the three dimensional look.  This was an experiment and I am very pleased with the final piece.

The second item is a 12×36 transom created for Nancy Plemmons of Apex,NC and is pictured on the right. We are in the process of completing two more custom stained glass designs for the transoms on either side of this piece for their screened in porch.  This transom  had approximately 400 individual pieces!  A ton of little pieces of glass,  a lot of work, but our customer was very happy with the end result!  We had a blast creating this for her!

As always, we look forward to your comments.  And, of course, if you want a custom stained glass creation for your home or work – don’t hesitate to contact me.

~ Jere

We are very excited to announce that the Mermaid custom stained glass design which we recently created for Mr. and Mrs. Merrow  has been selected as design of the month for Glasseye 2000.  Glasseye 2000 is the design software that I use to design my stained glass artwork.  Check out the Design of the Month article on the Dragonfly website.  It is such an honor to be given an opportunity to show off our design capabilities.  Many thanks to Michael at Dragonfly Software and to the customers that inspire all of our design work.

So, if you’ve been yearning to add a little stained glass to help enliven the decor in your home or business, now is the time to contact us.  From now through March 31, 2011 we will waive the first 6 hours of design fees for your custom piece – that’s a $150 value!

For most standard size pieces that means your design will be absolutely free!

Plus you get all the same great features as all our custom stained glass designs:

Your in-home consultation with our artist will help ensure:

• Your one-of-a-kind stained glass art piece matches your vision
• If you don’t have an inspiration – we can offer hundreds of designs to help inspire your creation
• By visiting your home, we’ll be able to recommend colors that compliment your style and color palette
• We’re not pleased until you are ecstatic! If needed we’ll rework the design until you are thoroughly pleased.

Learn more about our custom stained glass design process here.

Now is not the time to delay.  If you’ve been thinking about adding stained glass to your decor call us today at 919-557-3700 or send us an email using this form.

The final piece measured 57 1/2″ X 50 1/2″….wow!  We faced several challenges creating this piece, not only did the size test our skills,  painting  the face was a first for us and transporting and installing her was quite an adventure as well.  In the end the Merrow’s were very pleased with the outcome and so was my team and I.  I’ve enclosed a few pictures of her being created and of course, pictures of the final product!

Every great stained glass project begins with the design.  I worked closely with the Merrow’s and over a course of several conversations and after a few design revisions we settled on the final design.  Here’s the approved mermaid design hanging on the wall of my studio. Notice each piece is numbered – this is an important step during the process of cutting, grinding, and fitting the piece together. When you’ve got several hundred pieces of glass it’s important to have it mapped out where each one goes!

Once we had the design in place the fun really starts as we begin selecting the glass to compliment the customer’s tastes and execute the final piece.

The glass selection for the Mermaid’s scales was manufactured by Kokomo and is a blue/green vertigo.  For me this was the perfect glass because of the unique texture and the color.  The sea vegetation was created using 7 different types of Uroborous, Youghiogheny and Oceana glass.  All of the glasses are hand rolled so each piece of glass is unique.  We used a fusible Spectrum glass for the skin tone.   Finding the right glass for the skin is always a challenge (it’s either to pink or peach), but I was pleased with this glass.  The water incorporated  7 different types of blue glass from several different manufacturer’s.  There were 3 different shades of water glass which is manufactured by Spectrum.  One of my favorite types of glass used for the water was a Optimum noogie/foxtail glass which is no longer manufactured.  I also used several blue tones manufactured by Wissmach.  The most challenging part of glass selection was the hair!  We used 3 different types of glass in her hair to create texture and movement.  Uroborous, Youghiogheny, and a small bit of Spectrum were incorporated.  Last but not least we also incorporated jewels throughout the piece for a fun bubble effect.  In all we used 19 different types of glass.

Once the glass is selected, the process of cutting and grinding the glass begins.  We layout out the design at this stage to ensure the various pieces fit together well while the entire piece does not exceed the intended dimensions.  Here’s how the Mermaid looked after cutting and grinding.  Notice the pieces are still numbered as they were in the design above.

With the glass cutting and grinding done, it is time to foil each individual piece and then layout out the design on our work table.  Here’s a section of the tail where you can see some of the glass is foiled and some still is not.

Once all the foil is in place it is time for the soldering.  Here you can see the Mermaid’s various pieces are all foiled and ready to go to the next step.

Now we are nearing the end and the excitement in the studio reaches a higher level.  Of course, so does our anxiety as turning a piece of this size so we could solder both sides presents some challenges.  We soldering approximately 40 feet of reinforcement between the pieces of the glass which helped add strength both for the short term and long term.  For the first turn we soldered one side and then sandwiched the piece between two stiff boards to turn her. The first turn is always the scariest (we certainly don’t want cracks at this stage!)  It took three people to turn this piece each time and four turns were required to complete the soldering and finishing processes.  Along the way we added a nice patina and then polished that beauty up till she shined like the a pearl.

As for transportation we built a special rack for this piece and it was again sandwiched between two stiff boards to avoid bending.  Once the piece arrived at the installation site our team choreographed an installation plan to get it from the car, through the house, into the bathroom, over the tub and into the window.  Wears me out just thinking about it!  Our plan worked and she was installed without any issues. Thanks to our great team, we were up to the task.

In the end, it is one of the most dazzling pieces we’ve created to date!  Check out the final stained glass Mermaid as installed in the Merrow’s home.

Here’s a close up.  She’s a masterpiece, don’t you think?

Thanks for reading along with us.  This was truly a wonderful projects and working with the Merrow’s was a joy.  Let me know what you think about the final piece in the comments below.  Feel free to visit our gallery to view other installed stain glass pieces.

We have turned in and received our first shipment of Weller Soldering Irons.  I will be making another run down to Apex to turn in more irons the second week of October.  If you still have one of the defective irons please make arrangements to turn it in to me no later than the 11th of October.  This will be my last run….after this you’ll need to contact the company directly.  Thank you All!  Jere

This panel was created as a donation for a community fundraiser in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia where I have my glass workshop. The concept grew out of a few things: a recent tour of the Spectrum factory, a day with the owner of the Not Afraid of Color studio in North Carolina, and a penchant for geometric design. I love bright, rainbow colors, especially the waterglass colors from Spectrum. By creating the design in Glass Eye 2000, I was able to change the score lines and the colors, then resize the panel to the size I wanted.  Read the full article here.

It is great to see a friend’s work recognized in this way!  Glass Eye 2000 is software for the design of stained glass windows and is a tool I have used for years.

Linn’s first exposure to stained glass came during a beginner’s class in 2003, and more classes soon followed. In October 2008, Linn was accepted as an apprentice at Vetrate Artistiche Toscane, a stained glass studio in Siena, Italy. During her month there, she learned about restoration and increased her skills working with lead came. She also learned traditional methods for cementing. Linn now has a large, well-equipped workshop. Her newest interests are Prairie style windows, layering/plating, and incorporating fused glass into her stained glass projects.  To learn more,  check out Linn’s website.

Cooper Tools stands behind their products. That is one of the reasons I only carry Weller 100 irons. Cooper Tools recommends discontinuing use of this iron immediately. They will exchange your iron for a new iron. They are in the process of new production on the Weller 100 iron.

If you purchases a Weller 100 watt iron between August 2006 and May 2010 please return the iron to Not Afraid of Color before the end of August. If you not sure of the date of purchase and feel uncomfortable at all about your iron, bring it to me and Cooper Tools will exchange the iron, no questions asked. Even if you did not purchase the iron from Not Afraid of Color, I would be happy to handle the exchange for you.

The new iron will not be available until the beginning of September. My goal is to have all the recalled irons by the end of the month so that I can handle the exchange. This will save you all a bit of time. If your working on soldering a project, give me a call and we will see what I can do to help until the new irons are ready.

Please contact me at (919) 557-3700 with any questions are for specifics on how to get the iron to Not Afraid of Color. Thank you.

We have successfully transitioned the Not Afraid of Color Stained Glass Studio to my home and are open, once again, for business!

Thanks to all the friends who have supported us over the last 7 years, we couldn’t have made it without you.  In fact, the many kind words of support and all the hugs I’ve received have given me the strength to pull off our grandest opening ever. I sincerely thank you all, from the bottom of my heart.

While it won’t exactly be ‘business as usual’ we are firmly committed to supporting all your stained glass needs. As you are probably curious – here is a rundown on what is the same and what has changed.

The Not Afraid of Color You know and love!

Creating custom stained glass creations for homeowners and business across the region is still a primary focus. I am an artist after all; it is what I love to do.

Art glass and supplies – we will still be able to offer you our expert guidance on glass selection and needed supplies.

Beginner Stained Glass Classes are resuming in September and will be offered on a bi-monthly basis.  As always, class size is limited.  Contact me for schedule information and to sign up.  Don’t forget, because stained glass classes make great gifts, we offer gift certificates!

Thursday night studio time is back! All the great camaraderie and collaboration we all loved so much is on tap every week.

With so much being the same, what has changed?

Well, the biggest change is the studio is now in my home.  Because of that, I’m not broadcasting my address on the internet.  I hope you will visit us, but please understand my request that you call to schedule an appointment. I promise I’ll give you really good directions on how to get here.

The new studio space is comfortable, but it is smaller than our last location. Because of that we ask that our friends, old and new, sign up in advance for studio night and classes.  You can do that by calling or sending us an email here.

We will do our best to assist you in obtaining all of the art glass and supplies that you need.  We have maintained our relationships with our wholesale distributors and will routinely place special orders.  Give us a call and let us know what you need!

Again, thank you so much for your support over the years.  I cannot wait to welcome you to the new studio. Why not call today?