Stained Glass - II....My Butterfly!!

As promised, here I come with my set of explanations.

What is Stained Glass?

            What’s Stained Glass? Nothing big. Google it. OMG, you’ll kill me if I say that. Was chatting with a cousin yesterday and he asked me a question. I said, “Google it” (because I did not know the answer.:-)) and he replies: ”Is this a disease for your NRIs?” You ask them anything and they say Google it. LOL. I know, it’s a disease, a healthy disease. Okay! Let’s enter my glass world.

            Stained Glass is an art which has a history of more than 5000 years. Stained Glass is recognized as a term applicable to Church Windows and some significant buildings. It is basically colored glass and the products you make out of it. As a material stained glass is glass that has been coloured by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. (© Wikipedia.) Hmm..looks like too much theory? Huh! Now, in my words..

            Stained Glass is a piece of art you make out of coloured glass. It could be a window, a bed lamp, a candle stand, a sun catcher etc. anything where your imagination and creativity takes you to.

            Oh!! I didn’t clear the myth right? Stained glass is not a painting of luminous colors on glass. A project or a piece of art is made by cutting the glass, sounds scary? Not really. Be prepared for minor cuts though. A pack of band-aids is what needs to go in your tool kit. After you cut the glass, grind the edges, then wrap the piece with a copper foil, apply flux gel and solder the pieces. Looks real easy? Well, it is..:) Add a bit of passion and a bigger bite of patience.

Where I Learn?

            I take my classes at Rainbow Glass, Sacramento. The owners Phil and Hazel have been in the business for 38 years and have a huge collection of Stained Glass works. They sell everything you need that’s related to stained glass. That’s where I learn. Apart from stained glass, you could do glass fusing, glass blowing, mosaic and lot more fun stuff with glass.

My First piece of work:

            I did not have anything in mind when I first started the class. As a tradition, they teach us to make a butterfly. Below are the pictures. 

My son’s birthday was right in time and there goes his birthday gift. Poor boy, doesn’t know what to do with it though. 

With an expression as radiant as my butterfly, I express, “Look, what I made for you?” He goes, “What do I do with it?” 

I reply: Oh! You can hang it in your room or near the window. 

Understanding his disappointed feelings, I utter: “See, I am giving you my first piece of art. I have not done it for anyone else in the family”. 

Looks like every mom presumes that teeny-weeny emotional blackmail works. 

I think that pleased him a little and says, Oh fine. Thank you!!