Latest Commission Completed!

My recent New Glarus project has been completed! I am thrilled with the outcome. Here are some photos of the installation process and the clients. Thank you Marty and Greg! You are amazing people and so so SO fun to collaborate with! I trust you will have years of enjoyment in your beautiful home. Thank you goes out to Terry Bose. It was a difficult installation. It has been the trickiest one to-date. I appreciate all of your hard work friend! Thanks goes out to Jay Lamm at Freeport Glass for cutting the safety glass for me also. You did a fabulous job! I am so blessed to have such a wonderful support network. These people are the backbone for how and why I am able to practice my art! I am forever filled with gratitude! LIFT UP YOUR ART! Laurie Roskam

Studio Work in the Summertime of Northern Illinois

Hello friends,

I am cutting and grinding a beautiful Spectrum sky blue glass along with a Uroboros amber and green glass for the oak leafs today. The studio doors are open, the breeze is wonderful and saws are humming as Creative Treasures (link along my sidebar) continues to put the finishing touches on their new storefront. It is a busy time for both my studio and theirs as they prepare for the Stephenson County Fair and I continue to create my latest stained glass commission. The day is absolutely picture perfect here in Freeport, Illinois and I hope it is wherever YOU are today~ Lift Up Your Art And Be Blessed, Laurie

SECOND ELVIRA CHURCH PANEL IN PROGRESS

Hello Friends, I was able to complete the cutting and grinding process for the second panel last week. I will be copper foiling and soldering the panel this week to complete the second of three panels! LIFT UP YOUR ART! With gratitude, Laurie B.

TEMPORARY DIGS

Good Morning Friends,
Here's hoping you have sunshine where ever you are today. It's gloomy here in Northern Illinois! I wanted to share a couple of photos of where I've been keeping myself recently. I'm making great progress on "Adam And Eve" and hope to have this piece foiled and ready for soldering by the middle of the week. My temporary digs are working out just fine and I am thankful. Lift up YOUR art! Laurie B.

THOUGHTS

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." -Anais Nin

ADAM AND EVE

Good Morning my friends, Here is the next installment I'm doing for my client out in New Jersey. In order to keep the aspect ratio in check a few more pieces had to be add to the design but I think it works. The client asked if she could name the double panels and "of course" was my answer. So here is the first drawing (and six copies lol) of Adam and Eve. I am doing double panels of this design and she requested that they not be in mirror image. Once again these will be created in black, white and gray glass..I am going to also be using arcitectural glass which should add some nice depth. Here's to it! Once again, I'll be unhooking from cyberspace and hooking in to my art. Such a fun balance. May the glass cutting and grinding and foiling and soldering, commence! Follow your bliss people...With gratitude, Laurie B.

UPDATE ON MY NEWEST PROJECT

Hello Readers,

If you are a member of Facebook I urge you to join my fan page there. It is growing rapidly and I was able to upload photos of my recent project there. I am still unable to upload my photos here on Blogger. Tomorrow I will be answering some questions regarding Baroque glass and the process. Enjoy! Just go to Facebook and type in The Looking Glass in the search box in the upper righthand corner. With gratitude, Laurie B.

A Black And White Issue

I am starting on a new commission for a client from New Jersey. She saw my original work on Etsy, a panel that is 8 x 12 entitled A Black And White Issue. She requested the same glass, baroque in black and white, but asked that I create the panel with dimensions of 24 x 18. Many times I can take a pattern from a pattern book and resize it via the computer, however, in this case the geometrics of the pattern would not resize due to aspect ratio issues. I decided to completely hand draw the pattern. It is similar to the original in the pattern book but did take some extra work. From there, I had to make a few copies and I have since cut the pattern, laid it on the glass and have 1/2 of the pattern cut and ready to grind. I will be loading pictures as soon as my computer stops acting up but for now, I wanted to let you know what MAGIC is happening at The Looking Glass. Please stop back in in the next day or two and check out the photos with more detailed descriptions of the stained glass process. With Gratitude, Laurie B.

STAINED GLASS-PAINTED GLASS-GLASS ART

In this day and age the term "stained glass" is widely used to refer to both colored glass and painted glass. In truth, the term stained glass refers to only the types of glass one sees in churches such as the detailed figures and landscapes. These are painted on colored and/or plain glass and decorated and embellished by the artists. The Tiffany style of stained glass employs colored glass pieces which are then arranged in a pattern and assembled either by the copper foil method or leaded method. This art form is called glass art. The magical windows in many churchs across the world has a breathtaking and very esoteric effect on many. The ability artists had/have to paint the golden locks of an angel or the details of a piece of fruit are astounding. We can only guess at where the origins of glass art started. Some speculate that it started as far back as Egypt. There are other locations such as Rome, Greece and Byzantium, Pompeii and Herculaneum that have evidence of the use of glass art also. Regardless of where this art form started, we are blessed not to have lost this art form within the hussle and bussle of this modern world. It is a time consuming art form that requires patience, skill, and lots of practice. It is, however, well worth the effort for not only the artist who creates, but the owners of the art for years to come.

WHERE THE MAGIC HAPPENS

Hello readers! I felt the need to take one month (almost) off of my blogging to clear my head, refocus my energies and tend to some family issues that arose in April. Family first in all things has been my motto for many a year now. I am back and ready to blog away about  my new adventures. My husband is in the throws of building a new stained glass studio to accomodate my new large stained glass commissions. I have found a wonderful home on Facebook and recently started a Fan Page of which I hope you all join. I will open up discussions regarding the process of stained glass, answer questions that I am able to address and share my newest creations with you there. The Olde Farmhouse has kept us very busy over the past couple of months. We had a horrible flood and had to evacuate but have made a full recovery. I harvested gallons and gallons of strawberries over the past two weeks with the help of my loving husband and mother and we have all of the flower beds under control for the most part. I was blessed to spend a week with my grand daughter. She has a beautiful, sweet and loving spirit and at seven months I can only imagine what the next year will bring! She is truly a miracle. Sebastian bonded with her and they are simply joined at the hip. Please check out The Looking Glass Fan page http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/THE-LOOKING-GLASS/85733685674?ref=mf and become a fan! It is nice to be back here on Blogger. I missed sharing the ins and outs of life as a stained glass artist with you. Pictures of my flowers, grand daughter, pets and various other parts of my daily living will continue here! With gratitude, Laurie B.

Hyde Park Panel How-To in Stained Glass

I have been MIA for a bit and thought I'd give you a visual on some things I've been doing. As followers of my blog know, I have been in the process of creating a replica of a Hyde Park Stained Glass Panel. The pictures above show one of the steps of the process I just completed. The edges of each pattern piece are ground smooth and then fitted on the pattern allowing for the mm of foil that each will be wraped in. When you are finished with this stage of the game you must make sure each piece is labeled properly and then they are ready to be washed, dried and foiled. Tonight and tomorrow I will be foiling each pattern piece and will the show you a picture of what the pattern looks like once it's placed in the jig and ready to be soldered. I've also been grinding another bird feeder cover and a lovely multi-colored church panel for an upcoming gig I have in April. Can't wait to share those with my friends here! Hope everyone is at home this evening, safe and warm. I must say this weather is, well....ENOUGH all ready! With gratitude, Laurie B.

Made In The Shade (TM) size S

Good morning readers! We had tornados yesterday and today I am outside taking pictures of a bird feeder cover in 20 degree weather and high winds, UGH I can't keep up! At any rate, here is an example of the smallest Made In The Shade (TM) cover that I will be creating. I have over 20 designs and counting and plan to show the different patterns in my next post. I am also waiting for photos of the shades that have already found their new homes (feeders) and am hoping they and birds are as happy as mine! Sometimes people purchase these and just insist on using them as lampshades, which is cool and all, so we shall see if I get photos from some of my buyers. Enjoy and stay warm! With gratitude, Laurie B.

Angels Among Us 2 and Gold Van Gogh Cross

Here are a couple of new listings to my inventory on Etsy..and yes, that is the SAME cross in different lighting...The Gold Van Gogh Glass ROCKS! With Gratitude, Laurie B.

Angels Among Us

This is one of the commissions I recently completed and wanted to share it with you. She is on her way to a lovely lady in New York. I just love how the copper patina turned out and wanted to share this beauty with you. If anyone has special requests from my inventory on Etsy I've got openings to do commission work and love working one-on-one with clients. Enjoy! With gratitude, Laurie B.

Hyde Park Project Stage Three

Here are two pictures of the process of cutting each pattern piece to size prior to grinding. One photo shows the scoring process. I routinely use a green running pliers for all straight cuts and use the grosing pliers (shown in photo two) to make the breaks on any scores that are not straight. The deeper the cut, the more chance there is of an unintentional fracture. Deeper cuts take several narrower scores and nipping of the glass in several stages. My next post will show the pieces all cut down to size and ready for the grinding process. With gratitude, Laurie B.

HYDE PARK PROJECT

Hello friends, I've started on my Hyde Park panel (finished example shown in a prior post) and wanted to share the first couple of steps with you. I chose the various colors of English Muffle glass and purchased the individual sheets. I then took the pattern and cut each piece out and affixed it to the appropriate color of glass. This picture shows the glass panes cut down to a size that is easier to handle when cutting each individual piece. The goal is to position the pieces so as to have as little glass waste as possible while allowing the artist to make the cut as easily as possible. Remember that glass only WANTS to break in a straight line. I'll be cutting each of these individual pieces out tomorrow and then will start on the grinding process. I'll share a few photos of those steps in the days ahead. With gratitude, Laurie B.

HISTORY IN GLASS 101

Photo by laurie beggin of Stained Glass Window at St. Mary's Church in Freeport, IL The exact origin of stained glass is unknown. Its discovery was suggested by Pliny as an accident by Phoenician sailors. It is possible that it was a result of shipwrecked sailors building fires for their cooking pots on blocks of soda (natron) on top of beach sand. By morning, the melted sand and soda mixture would have produced hardened glass. It was more likely that potters, from Egypt or Mesopotamia, discovered the brittle treasure independently, when firing their wares. Anyone who has painted hand-molded clay in school art classes with a variety of colored substances, knows that firing in the kiln will lead to hard-glassy coats. It is likely that the ancients tested many substances to discover which would generate the most durable and attractive coating for the otherwise dull and fragile pottery. Trial and error would have led to a glassy surface, which in turn would lead to the discovery of glass as an end unto itself. Among the earliest man-made glass artifacts are Egyptian beads from about 2700 BC. The art proceeded to the first century AD, when Roman artisans were creating glass windows, though the product was irregular and not as transparent as we are accustomed to. The rise and importance of churches sped the craft into the glorious forms that we are familiar with. At St. Paul's Monastery in Jarrow, England (founded in 686 A.D.), multiples pieces of colored window glass were unearthed by archaeologists. Although there are examples of early stained glass windows, such as those from Augsburg Cathedral, the search continues for the earliest surviving examples. Arabian filigree windows moved into Europe as the Moors entered Spain. Originally the glass, which appeared in the tenth century, were simply pieces inserted into marble or stone or glazed in plaster. To strengthen the bindings, iron ribs were added. As the colored glass attracted builders, the fashion moved farther north, into latitudes that required more substantial settings to endure severe weather conditions. Glass fragments, discovered from sites dated to 540 A.D. in Italy, include an image of Christ. Another small window, which included the popular Alpha and Omega symbols was unearthed in France and the site dated to 1000 A.D. The head of Christ became an increasingly popular image, a notable example found near Wissembourg, Alsace from 1068. As the earliest Christians, who had long been persecuted, began to feel safer, they moved from building secret spots of worship in their homes or beneath the earth, to building churches to house relics of the saints. The rulers of church and state sent emissaries to the Holy Land to bring back works of art, carved ivory, and jewels, including precious colored glass. Christian art, borrowed and advanced the techniques as the need to enhance buildings of worship came into fashion. The medieval Church became the most influential patron of the arts. As treasures from the Crusades flowed home to Europe, the need to display them in an environment of light, caused the French Abbot Suger of Saint Denis, to enlarge the windows and beautify them with stained glass. What started out as simple figures became complex and ornate with strong religious and personal symbolism, including heraldry. It is the nature of glass that led to man's enduring love affair. Glass is a solid that maintains qualities of a liquid. By capturing light, it appears to glow from within, transforming and passing light in the manner of a jewel. When created with the addition of metallic salts and oxides, the most brilliant and inspiring of colors can result, including the crimsons of gold, the deep royal blues of cobalt, the sun yellows of silver, and the forest greens of copper. These were displayed in the Gothic cathedrals of Europe, as craftsmen learned to generate results that could tolerate greater sizes and the ravages of inclement weather. In Medieval days, the craftsmen were interested in symbolic images more than realism. They employed grisaille, a brown enamel that covered the surface of the glass to define features rather than to transmit light. Later on, paler colors allowed for more light to pass, and the figures became larger, with more metallic oxides used to create colored, painted masterpieces. The art form, throughout the ages generated results that increasingly exhibited the romance and spiritualism of the human spirit. It was stained glass that united architectural elements and with the mysteries of man's beginning, journey, and attitudes to fellow men. .15hqqv. www.vex.net/~dq711/stained_glass.htm

MY EARLIEST MEMORY OF STAINED GLASS

I walked passed these two homes every day from kindergarten through fourth grade. I will post their photos here along with their history. Early childhood memories really do shape our path if we listen! I loved these homes when I was young and I still do today. Give me a barrel, shovel and stucco....I'm there!

I hope Freeport, IL will take care of these homes and preserve them for history. The photos simply don't do them justice. They shimmer in the sun and create visual magic!

Here is an excerpt from the site listed below describing the houses. Thank you to Bob Beggin and Dave E. for sending me the site! With gratitude, Laurie B.

http://www.bibleplants.com/freeport2006.htm

...Freeport's glass houses, pictured both above share Beaver as a side street and are on the corners of Avon and Elk, near each other. F. A. Schulz had large flower gardens on land near these houses. He sold flowers to Chicago, and at one time had a grocery store in downtown Freeport. In about 1930 he started building these houses. His son said he made some of the glass decorations from the windshields of Model Ts and broken glass from the W. T. Rawleigh factory and S. S. Kresge's 5 & 10 Cent Store (later known as Kmart). Schulz crushed glass inside wooden barrels and used shovels to throw broken glass and rocks into wet cement and stucco. His kids and grandkids also remember not being so fond of the houses because he would sometimes steal some of their things (even toys and kitchenware) and embed them in his grotto or in one of the houses.

LOOK CLOSELY

Good morning readers! I missed my posting yesterday so I thought I'd use my "wordless" picture today! Isn't she beautiful? I've had a busy few days and am excited to start on some new projects. I decided to take on some Hyde Park patterns and also a line of PURE English Muffle designs. Thank goodness I'm over my "let down" I always experience when a big commission ends. It's similar to closing night of the theatre (for those of you that have experienced the stage) or I suppose it could be likened to the feeling one experiences the day after Christmas. At any rate, the sun is shining, I am going to go tend to my gardens and start tucking my flora- friends in for the winter that is right around the corner. We at The Olde Farmhouse are sending you warm wishes today! CREATE! With gratitude, Laurie B.

FOR THE MOTHERS AND CHILDREN

I just finished this panel for a dear young woman and her "soon to be born" daughter whom I hope will forever remain in my life. I saw the pattern and fell in love with it. I think it makes a wonderful gift for any special mother and her child.

So to you Mo, with Love and Gratitude for all that you are, Laurie