Art Glass

Art glass or artistic glass, can also be called stained glass. It can add warmth and a unique ambiance to many parts of your home. At Virginia Mountain Woodworks, all of the art glass is handcrafted. The designs can be anything you desire. Bathrooms and entryways are places where you often see art glass but don't let that limit you. Virtually any room in the house can be enhanced by a stained glass window.

William Simpson joined us at Virginia Mountain Woodworks in 2009. He's been a wonderful addition to our small company with his skill, talent and experience. His degree from Clemson in Architectural design and his warm and friendly personality make him perfect. He's not happy unless you, the customer, are thrilled. In addition to his talents at building custom cabinets, he applies his skill and artistic sense to art glass.

Here are some things he has to say about art glass, custom glass windows and panels and custom glass doors.

In General

Art glass has been around for centuries. For me, it is simply an incredible medium to work with because it brings together two of my favorite things, color and light. I am often taken aback by the beauty of stained glass windows. With the sun streaming through the colors, creating colored shadows on the floor and walls, there's something almost mesmerizing about them. And when we talk about beveled glass doors, you can get little prisms dancing around the room each time the door is opened. It's almost magical to be in a foyer that boasts beveled or stained glass in the entryway. I have been continually amazed by the remarkable change to the look of a home where I have installed an entryway or even just a door. Usually though, it's the homeowner, or a neighbor, who is really surprised.

I have built and installed hundreds of doors, windows and entryways and my favorite part, even today, is when the client sees the completed project for the first time, and is awestruck. I know then that I have done my job well.

And it's not just the glass that I am passionate about. A beautifully handcrafted door is also a wonderful thing to behold. There's something about beautiful wood that makes me want to touch it, to feel the smoothness and the warmth. It is a perfect compliment to a strikingly beautiful leaded glass window. I am sure you can see several photos of this on the site. Keep in mind however that these are only to show our experience and to give you some idea of what's possible. Really, the sky's the limit. We absolutely love doing something "a bit different" for that is where we reach new levels of art and design. We welcome that kind of individual creativity and eagerly wait for the next client who may be bold enough to dream, and then go ahead and make it a reality.

Some Background and Definitions

A little background may be in order here. As mentioned above, leaded glass has been around for centuries. There are two main styles of construction of a leaded glass panel. First is called "Copper Foil" and is generally used for Tiffany style lamps and smaller panels. We used to call them Suncatchers because we could hang them in the window as an accent. I'm sure you have seen them. One great thing about copper foil is that you can make very intricate designs with extremely small pieces of glass. This makes for incredible works that really show artistry. However, the limits of copper foil are in the size of the panel. Panels can be made fairly large but shouldn't be expected to withstand any substantial weather or wind. On the other hand, the second type construction is better suited for window opening and weathering the elements. Leaded glass is made with, surprise, you guessed it, LEAD. It is not "in the glass" but it is
the metal that separates the individual pieces of glass in the window. The lead is shaped like an "H" and the glass slides into the top and bottom of the H. Then we add a commercial grade putty and press it into the H next to the glass so it seals both inside and outside. That makes the window water-proof and strengthens it structurally. Often, large windows, like church windows, will also have steel bars across horizontally to add more stability. This style
of construction is more suitable for exterior windows and doors.

Clearing Up a Question Many Have About Stained Glass

As for glass, you can get almost any style or color imaginable. But first let me clear up a question that many clients have asked. The color in stained glass is permanent. It isn't a dye or additive or something painted on the surface. Glass is made using extreme heat and while molten, chemicals are added to the mix. That is what causes the colors. Cobalt, for example creates a beautiful rich blue, Gold, yes, gold, creates red glass. So, the color is part of the glass and isn't going to fade or change over time. (I can't say the same for our cheap second cousin, Stained Glass Overlay. It does paint on the color and tape on the lead to a single pane of clear glass.).

Design Rules

Now, there are a few design rules that I have learned over the years. Typically, entryways tend to look best when the glass panel is built using clear bevels and clear textured glass(as a contrasting element) and limited translucent color(as opposed to solid color). The colored or stained glass could be used as a border accent or similar element to match an interior color scheme. Too much color in the front entryway reduces the elegance and translucence of the glass and makes the entrance more of a door than an window. The bevels and clear glass allow lots of light to come into the foyer and it warms up the space. On the other hand, stained glass is often used for garden tub windows to give additional privacy while creating a beautiful work of art in a master bath space. Once you have experienced sunlight beaming through a beautiful stained glass window while relaxing in your whirlpool tub... well, you can imagine how incredible it could be.

All of the above said, have a look at some of the doors and windows that have been built and call us right away and tell us your idea for what you'd like.