Understanding The Artform

Not much is known about the origins of stained glass. According to the Art Glass Association, "The technique probably came from jewelry making, cloisonné and mosaics." Stained glass is a material that has been coloured by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. Artworks created from glass can be very elaborate or designed extremely simply.

Leadlighting and stained glass pieces are most effective when they are placed in a position so that light can shine through from behind. This accentuates and illuminates the design as well as filters soft light into the room. This can have an enhancing effect on the environment. Understanding how the pieces of the image will fit together and imagining the design with light filtering through it is essential to planning the design.

The Technique

To make stained glass the artist must plan the layout of the design in great detail. The plan must then be executed carefully, making sure that all pieces are cut to fit into a frame or encasement exactly. This is so that the piece is well supported. Lead lines are extended to the edge of the design. This structural support can be crucial to the way the pieces of glass support each other inside the framed area. A badly supported piece of stained glass artwork may buckle and eventually break or drop out of the frame.