It was great to finally have some time this summer to do some work on a mosaic. I have a small stack of old windows that were rescued from our family cabin at Hume Lake. After re-purposing a window last year with glass etching, I was anxious try my hand at a stained glass mosaic. 

I was given a big bin of stained glass pieces from fellow artist and friend, Jeff Forbes. After sorting and cleaning the glass, I sketched out my idea and got to work. It was a perfect project for late Sunday afternoons in my patio! I started cutting glass into long thing splinters, combining shades of red, brown and amber glass to make the cross. This symbol is very important in my life. I wanted to demonstrate that the power of the cross can change everything, pushing out the boundaries and integrating every color and shape. 

Cutting glass is actualy fun and easy once you get the hang of it. (Yes, Pop, I wore my safety glasses) You have to work a little more loosely with glass than other materials. You have to be willing to work with the way it splinters and breaks. I love the fluid nature of glass; the colors constantly change based on the light coming to the surface of it as well as the light shining through it. (Am I this flexible and available as a person?)

Once the glass was cut and glued in place, it was time to grout! I decided on a black grout to really make the colors pop and to reinforce the "mosaic" quality of the window. It was a little scary to smear the surface with black goup after all that work! 

After the grout dried and I polished the surface, it was finally done.... well almost. I haven't decided quite how to finish the wood frame and what kind of hardware to use to hang it. It currently has a "pine green" worn paint finish.. not liking it to much. I might do a little more sanding and then stain it dark, almost black and then seal it. 

Somehow I'm wishing for a little metal - maybe some copper strips around the edges or some kind of copper hardware to hang it.... Let me know if you have some ideas. 

OK... next window, please.