Seven Stained Glass Windows Installed
Here’s an overview of the process with photos and videos, from concept to reality. Seven windows, 21 square feet, and four months in the making.
My first comissioned residential stained glass windows are installed and looking gorgeous.
It’s a magical thing to participate in the heritage of (largely anonymous) craftspeople who preserved and adapted this practice to last through the centuries. Our methods today are not far from the those described in the earliest records of stained glass fabrication in On Divers Arts by Theophilus (12th century). It's slow, tedious, and somehow absolutely thrilling.
What follows is a rundown of each step. I hope you enjoy.
Context
The client’s home is situated on a vineyard in the eastern hills of North County, San Diego. It’s a phenomenal west-facing view of the Fallbrook and Oceanside valley—with glimmers of the ocean showing on clear days—framed by three arches on the home’s exterior.
They wanted something elegant, harmonized with their ornate Tuscan interior decoration, plus a nod to their grapevines. Otherwise, I had free rein.
Concept Articulation
We began by collecting a heap of images they liked—pictures of other stained glass windows that struck a chord and could help us establish a shared vision. This phase is about inspiration, not detail, so all shapes, sizes, colors, and styles are welcome. Architectural? Pictorial? Abstract?
We settled on what I call a “decorative architectural” backdrop, overlayed by a “row” of fruiting vines.
Other artworks already on their walls also provided direction for style and color palettes.
Sketches
With the concept settled, I sketched a variety of thumbnail designs. My goal was to find a design that produced continuity through all seven windows.
From the five options I designed, they chose C. The backdrop is the same on all seven windows: a combination of symmetrical repeating patterns reminiscent of the arches outside, housing diamond lattice work, and tastefully centered with a cut rondel. Violà.
Digitized Linework
Next up: leadlines. I use Adobe Illustrator to create vector images with exact dimensions.
Leadlines are both structural support and the core design element. They conduct the sunlight’s pattern and determine the feeling and intensity of the piece, so attention here is everything.
You’ll notice in the design that each grape cluster is a singular piece. I wanted them to be the windows’ crown jewels, so I used a technique called fusing to melt down several glass pieces into one.
