GALLERY
Great Blue Heron
My goal for the heron was to incorporate my knowledge of materials science, copperwork, stained glass, and lighting into one sculpture.
The 3 foot tall heron is standing in a stained glass pond with copper grasses, lily pads, lily flower and cat tails. The copper displays natural patinas of blue, red, green and brown. The stained-glass heron is void of copper foiling or lead came. Instead, it is bonded with a UV hardened adhesive. LED lighting is attached internally to the copper support structure and can be controlled to display multiple colors of light at varying intensities.
To view a video of the process, click here.
Snowy Owl
The Snowy owl has over 300 pieces of white stained glass supported on a copper frame. Its three-foot wingspan and body are positioned in a spiraling descent. The wings alone have 150 feathers made from various textures of glass to simulate natural variation. The snowy owl is bonded with a UV hardened adhesive instead of copper foiling or lead came. A solar powered light placed inside the sculpture illuminates the owl at night.
Birds
These two birds are a training tool for my workshops as a way to introduce the techniques required to build a stained glass sculpture. Similar to the heron, I use UV cured adhesive to bond the glass, thereby eliminating the need for foiling, soldering, and patinas. The construction requires the creation of a reusable form to temporarily support the stained glass pieces during bonding. The design can accommodate a solar light to illuminate the bird at night.
Grand Piano
The stained glass grand piano measures approximately 5 ½” x 6 ½” x 3 ¾”. The hinged top allows the inside of the piano to be used as a jewelry box. A recordable sound chip is hidden under a false bottom. It can play up to 2 minutes of an uploaded single or multiple MP3 music file(s) by tapping the piano keyboard. Since the stained glass was bonded with a UV hardened adhesive, there are no solder joints breaking up the glass pattern. The exposed edges are polished smooth.
Click the arrow to view the video of the piano playing music.
Ferris Wheel
Click the arrow to view the video of the wheel spinning with music.
I repurposed an antique spinning wheel into a functioning ferris wheel that plays calliope music as it rotates. Each of the 8 carriages were made of stained glass pieces that were bonded using only UV cured adhesive. It is lit by LED light strips within a multicolored stained glass prism encased in an glass tube from an antique pole lamp. Each of these items were heirloom treasures from grandparents. The support base was a repurposed ottoman frame which compliments the circular design of the piece.
Wings on the Water
Kinetic Sculpture
The inspiration for this whimsical kinetic sculpture came from my lifelong love of the ocean and years of windsurfing adventures. It recreates the sights, sounds and movements of a full day at the beach. The sculpture is powered by 3 synchronous motors. The sound was recorded at my favorite beach
Click the arrow to view and hear the video of the sculpture in motion.
Rocket Table Lamp
This 4 sided table lamp was made for my son who managed the construction of this space capsule that was launched in 2020. I made the lamp to commemorate the successful mission of sending U.S. astronauts back to the International Space Station.
Each panel depicts a mission highlight - the launch, the first stage rocket release, the rocket landing on a barge and the return of the astronauts in the crew dragon capsule.
Launch
Release
Landing
Return
Click the arrow to view the video.
APIARY ART
Apiary Work Table
My inspiration was to convert the surface of a hollow stump in my apiary into a work surface. I covered it with a copper sheet made from an old copper shower pan. Then I inlaid a stained glass honeybee into the center and added a solar powered light inside the stump. The result was the patinaed copper surface of the stump blended into the stone wall while the work surface was illimunated at night. My hives are reflected in the convex mirror in the lower right hand corner of this photograph.
Stained Glass and Honeycomb Frames
These pieces are a collaborative effort between me and 10,000 honeybees. I attached my 3D stained glass honeybee sculpture inside a hive frame and placed it in one of my hives. The honeybees surrounded the sculpture with wax honeycomb and began to fill it with pollen and honey until I removed it from the hive.