STAINED GLASS
ENCAUSTIC AND CYANOTYPE
2026 PORTRAIT PROJECT

STAINED GLASS
My journey working with stained glass began with a brief introduction nearly 40 years ago but quickly took a multi-decade hiatus while I focused on raising my children. I picked it up again about 10 years ago, producing some traditional sun catchers and panels. In 2019 I attended a workshop at Snow Farm taught by Joseph Cavalieri. I was excited to expand my stained glass processes to include painting (and fusing that paint) on glass. I continue to make use of this option whenever I am able. I have most recently, again when facilities are available, experimented with fused glass options. This interest was prompted by a 2024 workshop with glass artist Tim Carey which included image creation with kdsfksdkfjkdsf and frit as well as the creation and ultimate integration of custom sliders and frit lace.

An ongoing series of caterpillar stained glass panels have been completed and others are underway for a number of young family members. The caterpillar is loosely based on Eric Carl’s “Very Hungry Caterpillar”. I enjoy the process of investigating various solutions to one theme, hence the variation in background arrangement

When my grandson was born in 2018 I hoped to create a stained glass panel for him that would be visually interesting to an infant while withstanding the inevitable “growing out of it” associated with typical baby or toddler-themed motifs. Below is a conceptual sketch done in preparation of the color wheel panel and a photo of the finished panel.

Working with family photos and ephemera is a mainstay of my artwork. Below is a series of stained glass pieces that came to life from a photograph of my mother riding a tricycle. These pieces were created in a 2019 workshop at Snow Farm.

For a number of years, my daughter created hand-cut Christmas cards. In the panel below, three of the card designs have been recreated via kiln-fused painted glass.

CYANOTYPE
Cyanotype is a gorgeous art form with a long history. The process is not complicated which somehow adds its charm. The cyanotype on the left below is a very traditional representation of the medium. I include in any sample collection because I’m particularly excited with the circumstances under which it was created. Cyanotype production is rather portable. No darkroom is required and development is done with water only. This fern print is a test subject in my quest to print at least one cyanotype at the completion of a family hike. This print was exposed and developed in the parking lot of the Main Street trailhead for Canonchet Preserves in Hopkinton, RI. Once suitable hiking and cyanotyping weather returns I will be dusting off my portable development materials and starting with my “take a hike, make a print you like” project. The image on the right is a digital photograph of a cyanotype in development. This particular development session took place at Narragansett Town Beach late in the summer of 2025. Here I was experimenting with using salt (sea) water versus tap water. I was struck by the defraction caused by the surface texture of the developing tank as well as the appearance of air bubbles as I agitated the developing tank.

CYANOTYPE/ENCAUSTIC
Within the past few years I have started working with encaustic paints and most recently with combining encaustic and cyanotypes. The two panels below were created from the same digital negative to produce cyanotypes which were then worked into encaustic panels.

Below is another example of an encaustic/cyanotype piece.

A very new project I am working on is a series of portraits done in different media in support of a family workshop scheduled for late fall 2026 where younger generations of the family will be introduced to portraiture and given the opportunity to complete a portrait of a family member. The finished portraits will be used in a game at a family gathering in December (as a surprise for the members of oldest of the family’s generations).

The idea is to show portraits in various media and styles; digitally produced art and analog artwork.

This has been the impetus of my idea to meld two favorite media: glass and cyanotype. I’d like to use the studio residency to explore portraits on glass that combine kiln-fired painted glass with cyanotype on glass. I have begun experimenting with digital negatives that I might use for this process. I have included one below (last image).

For the purposes of the family workshop and the intended December use of the portraits, all the portraits include the subject’s name. Because I have included names in these portraits, I have created an opportunity to discuss in the workshop, portrait and landscape orientation. Having a few “portraits” that are done in a landscape orientation will be a fun discussion point. Additionally, a “portrait” that contains multiple images of one person may further discussion of what defines a portrait.

Below is a sampling of portraits created in various media in support of this upcoming workshop.