This custom item is fabricated from bevels and jewels. There are 9 jewels; 2 each of red, green, blue and amber plus 1 clear jewel at the center epoxied to
a 3" circular bevel. The 8 arms are made from two triangular bevels joined together.This page shows all the custom stained glass design photographs and associated descriptions. Use the links below to jump to the desired area.
Smaller items shown on this page can be shipped internationally using the First-Class Package International Service of the USPS. Send me an email if you have an international request.
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This custom item is fabricated from bevels and jewels. There are 9 jewels; 2 each of red, green, blue and amber plus 1 clear jewel at the center epoxied to
a 3" circular bevel. The 8 arms are made from two triangular bevels joined together.
The fabrication method used is as follows:
The Re-strip is used to strengthen the structure so that the copper foil cannot be pulled off the glass elements.
For this fixture, brass hangers were soldered to two upper diamond shapes to allow chain to be used to attach the design to the lighting fixture.
The image on the left is of a 13" by 19" American Flag hanging with a bevel border. The panel is set into an American Walnut frame.
The actual dimensions of the flag portion are 8" by 13".
The image on the right shows the same panel resting on the upper part of one of our windows. The panel is sized so that it easily fits as a hanging in front of regular window. It can also be hung in an interior space or against a wall.
I also make the panel in a larger size. The larger size has a blue field (the Union) at 7 7/8" by 5 7/8". This yields a flag size of 19" by 11 3/8". If a bevel border and wood frame were added the final size would be approximately 24" by 17".
In either case the blue field, or UNION, is a fused glass segment with 50 "stars". The stars are 1/4" white squares for the smaller size and 3/8" white squares for the larger size. The squares are positioned diagonally on a glass blank and then fired to create a single glass segment. The temperature of the firing is such that the stars are a little raised on the blue surface. This adds to their visibility and yield a 3-dimension feel.
The blue field is Spectrum Cobalt Blue Cathedral glass (136) and the stars are Spectrum White Opal firing glass (200-SF). The red strips are either Spectrum Cherry Red Cathedral (151) or Wissmach Bright Red (18DR) and the white strips are either Spectrum White Opal (200) or Wissmach Solid White Opal (51DD).
The flag region is constructed using the copper foil method so that the smaller parts show better. The copper foiled flag is then mated with a clear rectangular bevel border using lead came and soldered to an outer zinc came frame. Finally, the panel is set into a hardwood frame if desired and a satin polyurethane finish applied.
All my hanging panels come with hooks and hanging chain included.
The framing is available in Red Oak, Natural finish American Cherry at this time.
The image on the left shows the small size Union while the image on the right shows both sizes together.
There are many border treatments besides the simple rectangular bevels possible.
The photograph shows a transom for a single width doorway. It is 28" wide and 14" high.
The white glass is Spectrum clear translucent (307S) while the small yellow segments are
Spectrum semi-translucent yellow opal. All the clear glass segments are Spectrum Clear
Waterglass ®. The lead came used is two different sizes, most is flat 1/4" with
some flat 3/8". The golden tone of the clear glass is due to the fall background
viewed through this window.
The photograph shows a sidelight set that is an adaptation of a sketch by Alex Spatz in one of his Prairie Designs books.
Each panel is 13" wide and 32" high.
The glass used are: Spectrum Clear Baroque ®, Teal and Light Amber Spectrum Waterglass® for the one color areas,
and Ruby Red / Amber and Sky Blue / Deep Steel Spectrum Waterglass® for the two color regions.
The two-tone blue segments are dark in the full set image. The close-up of the top of one panel shown on the right gives a better view of
these beautiful two-tone Spectrum Waterglass® segments.
The photograph shows a set of custom stained glass cabinet doors where the plain glass was
replaced by an Art Deco custom stained glass design. A set of doors is shown on the left and
the detail of the upper portion of one door is shown on the right. The doors are approximately
30" high and 12" wide.
The design uses four different glasses. The outer clear glass is Spectrum Clear Waterglass ® while the inner clear glass is Spectrum clear rough rolled. The central area is Spectrum Colonial Blue Translucent Opal glass. The two other colored regions are Spectrum Steel Blue Translucent Opal glass.
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There are many bevel clusters and art glass colors. This page just shows a few of the possible arrangements. If you have an interest please send me an email
describing what you might want in a large window hanging.
There is a link at the bottom of this page with my email address.
On the left is shown a window hanging that is approximately 13" wide and 18" high. The center bevel cluster is a colored bevel cluster by the MIKA Company.
It depicts a pineapple in light brown and light green colors. The Pineapple cluster is surrounded by Glue Chip textured glass and then a 1.5" wide border of
Spectrum Cobalt Blue WaterGlass®.
The same panel is shown on the right set into an American Cherry hardwood frame. With the wood frame the size increases to 15" wide and 20" high.
I stock American Walnut, American Cherry, Red Oak and Mahogany hardwoods for framing. Other exotic wood species are available for special order if desired.
On the left is shown a window hanging that is approximately 15" wide and 18" high. The center bevel cluster is a four piece star. This is surrounded by a clear textured glue chip glass
from the Duncan Company called Tsunami glass. While it is no longer manufactured, I still have a large supply on hand of this beautiful texture. Surrounding the clear textured glass is a border of bevels.
The corner bevels are inner quarter circle pieces. This yields a rectangular shape with curved corners. Finally the bevels are surrounded with a 1.5" colored glass border.
In the image shown, the border glass is Spectrum Sky Blue / Deep Steel WaterGlass ®.
On the right is a photo showing the lower right corner detail of this panel. It shows the beautiful texture of the Tsunami glass and some of the color variation effect for the two color WaterGlass border.
On the left is shown the same style panel with a Spectrum Sea Green WaterGlass ® border and the 4 piece bevel cluster being frosted bevels.
A frosted bevel has the flat top of the bevel having a texture like frosted glass. The bevel still has the slanted edge so such bevels produce the color prism effect
associated with all beveled glass.
There are many large bevel clusters. Here I just show two samples of custom bevel cluster window hangings. In general then have a large complex central bevel cluster,
some clear textured glass surrounding the bevels, and one or two borders. Borders can be constructed from rectangular bevels or colored art glass, usually
a Spectrum WaterGlass ® color for its beauty.
Panels can be set into hardwood frames or left with just the zinc came outer perimeter, as shown in the 4-Piece Star panels above. I use zinc perimeter came for all larger panels for strength.
On the left is a large 11 piece cluster surrounded by textured Glue Chip glass. There is then a border of 1.5" rectangular bevel border and finally a 1.5" border of Spectrum Medium Blue WaterGlass®. The piece is set in an oak frame. The image edge is too dark to see the actual wood color.
On the right is another double border window cover. The exposed glass is a 20" square. The panel is set into a wood frame to mate with the lower part of a double hung window. The outer border is Medium Blue Spectrum WaterGlass ® and the clear textured glass is Tsunami.
Framing for all panels is available in Red Oak, Natural finish Cherry, American Walnut, and Mahogany. The panels can also be left with just the zinc perimeter came and hanging hooks soldered to the zinc.
These designs are extensions of the smaller bevel hangings I've been making for years.
The layout is nine columns of bevels plus a color border to yield a 16" width.
The height is approximately 24". I try to arrange the different length bevels to make
rising or falling patterns from the two smaller size bevels.
The hanging on the left has a dark blue border, Spectrum Waterglass ® Cobalt Blue 136W, while the one on the right has a light blue border, Spectrum Waterglass ® Light Blue 132W. Each hanging has a Cobalt Blue 35mm jewel attached to a 1.5" square bevel to add some visual contrast to the bevel space.
There are many layout possibilities and the border color is only limited by the available stained glass colors. My personal taste is to have a medium to dark color so that the border trim clearly defines the bevel space.
This design uses a zinc outer frame and lead interior came. The came around the colored border is thicker then that around the bevels. No cement is used so that the maximum bevel area is revealed. Two solid brass hooks are soldered to the zinc frame. Panels of this size with so many bevels weight 7 lbs. So I include some sturdy hanging chain and hooks appropriate for wood window trim. All my panels are waxed and signed.
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Below are shown three different style mirrors. They all have borders made from opal glass. This allows the color of the border to be seen when displayed against a wall.
This custom stained glass mirror wall hanging made from Mika's mirrored bevel cluster
Rising Sun II, a border of Spectrum Colonial Blue Semi Translucent Opalescent glass,
and an Oak frame with a natural finish.
The dimensions of this beautiful custom stained glass living room piece are 18" by 32". The border trim is available in a wide range of stained glass colors to coordinate with your home decoration needs. The hardwood frame is available in Red Oak, Natural finish Cherry, American Walnut, and Mahogany.
The mirror on the left is a small 8" by 12" mirror with a border made from blue opal
with iridescent white opal in the corners.
The mirror on the right is larger, at 12" by 18". It has a deep red opal border with some white iridized segments to add visual interest.
The border region can be made from any of the many colors and color mixtures available in opal glass and thus coordinate perfectly with your interior color scheme.
To see a PDF fact sheet (450 Kb) for some of my Celtic Knot designs, including current costs, use the following link -- Celtic Knot Panel Information. It assumes you have the Adobe Reader available.
Here is a Celtic transom featuring a central Claddagh design. The full transom is 52" wide and 10" wide. The Claddagh segment is approximately 10" wide by 8" high.
The Claddagh element, as shown below, can be easily scaled in size, keeping the length to height ratio fixed, so that it could be used in many art glass window panels of different dimensions.
Claddagh central element sized at approximately 10" wide by 8" high.
Here is a Celtic Knot transom. The design shown uses two facing heart knots. The hearts knot
clusters are from Warner Art Glass. The panel is
36" wide and 12" high.
The inner glass segments, within the bevels of the knot, are light green GNA glass to help define the bevels. The rest of the glass is Spectrum Clear Baroque ®, with it striking swirl lines. The outer border is composed of clear rectangular bevels. This panel has a zinc frame painted black to match wrought iron decor in the client's setting.
The image on the left shows a variation of my Celtic Two Heart Knot transom installed in a client's home. The panel, made in two sections for shipping, is approximately 24" wide and 48" high.
The inner glass segments, within the bevels of the knot, are light green Spectrum Artique® glass to help define the bevels. The rest of the glass is Spectrum Clear WaterGlass®. The panel's border is rectangular bevels of various lengths and 1.5" wide. The panel is inserted into an interior opening between a dressing room and a bedroom.
Spectrum WaterGlass® was used to yield a little more privacy over the Spectrum Clear Baroque®.
The image on the right shows the panel during construction. The central horizontal lead line, between the tips of the two hearts, can be seen as slightly thicker. This is the point where the two sections are joined together during installation.
This panel illustrates one of the many possible variations for one of my designs.
The large Celtic Knot window hanging shown below has a zinc outer came edge. The outer
border is Spectrum Emerald Green Waterglass ®. The inner border is made from 1.5"
rectangular bevels. A light green GNA glass surrounds the central 25-piece bevel
Celtic Knot on both the inside and outside. The bevel cluster and internal GNA glass
is done with foil, to hide less of the bevel surfaces. The rest of the panel uses lead came.
As shown, this window hanging is 22" by 22". A perfect Celtic present for that special person, perhaps you!
The Celtic Knot bevel cluster is from Warner Art Glass, one of my glass suppliers.
A hanging of this size could be put into a hardwood frame if desired. I make my own framing and stock oak, cherry, walnut and mahogany. Other wood species are available as special order.
I have used the same cluster in an octagonal panel. The photo on the right shows the cluster
set into a 20" octagonal panel. The outer border is Spectrum Ruby Red / Amber Waterglass ®,
the small glass pieces that are surrounded by the bevel elements are Spectrum Light Amber
Artique ®, and the eight glass elements between the border and the cluster are Spectrum
Clear Baroque ®.
The outer zinc came is painted.
With the red and amber glass the panel takes on a more traditional Scottish feel, in my opinion.
Other Celtic Knots, Trefoils and Hearts, available from Warner Art Glass or Delphi Glass, make beautiful pieces. I show four below as samples. The large Trefoil on the left is 14" by 14", the small Trefoil as well as the Trefoil within a Circle in the center are 10" by 10" and the Heart panel on the right is 12" by 16".
This panel has a standard Celtic Heart Knot intertwined with an Infinity Knot and a double border of WaterGlass®.
The knot segments are Spectrum Cathedral Emerald Green glass. The panel has a double border of Spectrum Cobalt Blue WaterGlass® and then Spectrum Emerald Green WaterGlass®. The interior glass within the knot segments and from the knot segments to the blue border is Spectrum Clear Artique® glass. The fine surface texture of the Artique® glass is a little overstated in this image.
The panel is set into an American Cherry hardwood frame that appears dark in the photo on the left.
The additional small photo shows a more natural view of the cherry wood in a corner of the frame.
This Celtic Cross window hanging is show with just the zinc outer came edge. The outer border
is Spectrum Emerald Green Waterglass ®. A variety of clear textured glass can be used to
surround the central 8-piece bevel Celtic Cross. As shown this window hanging is
10" by 10". The four bevel cross arms are clear glass while the four circular bevel
segments are a light green glass. The bevels and textured glass in the lower part of the
hanging show their character better in this photo. Another perfect
Celtic present.
The Celtic Cross bevel cluster is also from Warner Art Glass, one of my glass suppliers.
For a hanging of this size I would usually not put it into a hardwood frame. However, a thin wood frame, about 3/4" wide, would be possible if desired.
Your family name set in frosted glass. The shamrocks are optional. An alternative to shamrocks
are Celtic crosses. This stained glass design can be made as a window hanging or supplied
with a hardwood stand for use on a mantel or table. Letters are in Emerald Green glass and
the shamrocks are green bevel clusters. The outer edge is zinc came. The size of this stained
glass hanging depends on the letters in the name.
The McGinn hanging above is 21" long and 10" high.
To the left is another name panel with the optional wood frame and stand. The Mac Laren
hanging is 20" long on a 22" base. The frame and base are red oak with Minwax ®
Golden Oak stain and Clear Satin Wipe-On Poly polyurethane finish.
A third family name panel below has an outer bevel border with inside corner bevels
for a little extra effect. It is 9.5" high and 19" wide with the 6-letter name. The
letters are Spectrum Medium Green Waterglass ® surrounded by Spectrum Clear Waterglass
®. The upper case B is 3" high. The letters could be done in any color.
When the last name is long or a smaller hanging is desired a solution is a Monogram design
with a Celtic knot included.
The knot shown on the right is sometimes called a trinity knot and is from Warner Art Glass
The inner glass segments of the knot are light green GNA glass. The Monogram letter as well as the border are Emerald Green Waterglass ® from Spectrum Glass. The bevel cluster and the monogram are surrounded with frosted glass.
This panel is 13" wide and 19" high.
A house name sign with a Celtic touch. The design is an adaptation of a Celtic Knot design
I saw in a church window in St. Louis, MO.
The stained glass used are: Spectrum Clear Waterglass ®, the weave design and letters are Spectrum Emerald Green Artique ® glass, and accent border is Spectrum Cathedral Medium Amber rough rolled glass. The green weave lines enclose four 1.5" square bevels.
The size of this family name house sign is 22" by 28". The size is determined by your family name. In this piece the came is brass but it can also be done using lead came. An oak frame supports the piece and is connected to a porch post, on the left of the photograph.
I've only taken the house sign down once, when a hurricane was planning a visit to our area in North Carolina.
A Scottish Thistle window panel that incorporates Celtic crosses in the corners and a thistle
design in the center. The design is by Wally Turnbull, a neighbor and friend, for whom I
made the first two window hangings as bathroom window covers.
The stained glass colors and textures are: Spectrum Purple Waterglass ® for the flower head, Spectrum Sea /Olive Green Waterglass ® for the flower stem and leaves, double glue chip for the thin long clear regions, and Tsunami clear textured glass, by Duncan Glass, for the larger clear regions. The centers of the Celtic Crosses are 35mm clear jewels.
The Tsunami textured glass, by Duncan Glass, in no longer available from the manufacturer as on early 2007. There are a number of similar clear textures that can be used.
This window insert is 20" by 20" including a white oak frame.
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On the left is shown a "Circle-In-Square Design by George" ™ for the upper half of a double hung kitchen window. The dimensions are 15" high and 31" long.
On the right is shown a small hanging layout. The dimensions are 15.5" high and 9" wide.
This custom stained glass design offers an easily scaled basic pattern. Each Circle-In-Square is 6" by 6" and is composed of five pieces of glass. With different colored glasses and the 6" by 6" unit dimension many sizes and color arrangements can be accommodated. With a border trim added, as shown here, almost any size can be accommodated.
This custom stained glass design can be used for a window hanging or a full window insert.
The photograph on the left shows a window hanging approximately 13" wide by 10" high.
The blue letters are Spectrum Dark Blue or Cobalt Blue Waterglass ®.
In the sample shown the clear glass surrounding the letters is Spectrum Rough Rolled.
The cherry frame shows up much too dark in this photo. The small insert photo on the right shows a corner of a natural cherry frame. I usually surround the Duke letters with bevels and set the panel into a handmade American Cherry frame. I can fabricate frames from other premium hardwoods like Walnut, Mahogany, Maple, etc. to meet the most discriminating needs.
As of 6/2008 the Duke panel is $125 plus packing and shipping if needed. This cost includes a frame made from Oak, which I will stain to your taste,
Cherry, Walnut, Mahogany or Maple. All woods are given a protective finish of three coats of satin polyurethane.
With appropriate lead-time it could be picked up at my Durham Studio for no shipping cost but I would need to add NC sales 6.75% tax. Packing and shipping, to the 48 states, would be in the $15 to $30 range depending on distance from the Triangle.
The photograph shows a U N C panel. Both the letters and the border are Spectrum Sky Blue glass. The panel is 13.5" by 9.5 " in size.
In the sample shown the clear glass is Spectrum Rough Rolled and the blue is Spectrum Sky Blue glass.
The letters are Spectrum Waterglass ® texture with the border is Rough Rolled texture.
Other textures are available but it has to be the sky blue color.
This panel is set in a zinc came outer frame and comes with hanging hooks and chain.
As of 6/2008 this panel is $99 plus packing and shipping if needed. With appropriate lead-time it could be picked up at my Durham Studio for no shipping cost but I then add the NC sales 6.75% tax. Packing and shipping, to the 48 states, would be in the $15 to $30 range depending on distance from the Triangle.
The photograph shows a N C S panel. Both the letters and the border are Spectrum Cherry Red glass. The panel is 13#34; by 9.5 " in size.
In the sample shown the texture of the red glass is rough rolled.
Other textures are available but it has to be the cherry red color.
This panel is set in a zinc came outer frame and comes with hanging hooks and chain.
As of 6/2008 this panel is $99 plus packing and shipping if needed. With appropriate lead-time it could be picked up at my Durham Studio for no shipping cost but I then add the NC sales 6.75% tax. Packing and shipping, to the 48 states, would be in the $15 to $30 range depending on distance from the Triangle.
Over the years I have made many stained glass panels using bevel clusters in the shape of a Fleur-de-lis. Some of the images shown here are on other pages
on this site. However, this page brings together all images using the Fleur-de-lis cluster into one place on my site.
On the left is a 14" by 17" window hanging. The glass used in Spectrum Light Amber Artique® surrounding the bevel cluster and a border of Spectrum Medium Amber Rough Rolled glass. The panel is set into an American Cherry frame with a natural finish. The frame appears very dark in this image.
On the right are two sizes of small inserts for older style wood windows. Each Fleur-de-lis is surrounded by Spectrum Clear Artique® glass. The perimeter material is a narrow zinc U came. This is sized to be completely under the window putty that holds the panes in place.
The Fleur-de-lis layout has been one of my most popular transom designs as well. The images below show a number of transom layouts using different borders and glass colors surrounding the central Fleur-de-lis bevel cluster and the accent side star bevels. For details related to transom panels please see the page devoted to transoms that can be accessed from Custom Glass Designs page.
The bevel cluster that depicts the Fleur-de-lis comes in two sizes. When surrounded with the lead came the larger size is approximately 9" high while the smaller one is 6.5" high. The two sizes allow for a transom Fleur-de-lis layout to fit into height openings as small as 7".
I've made Family Name panels since 2002 when I created a front porch hanging with my family name at the bottom. Since then I've made a number of panels, some with family names, others with just first names (as shown on the right), or other symbols that the client wanted displayed. Some use colors related to a countries flag or a college's colors.
In 2024, I started making family name panels using the Nautical Signal Symbols for the letters. These are the flags that are run up the mast of a ship to signal another ship. Each symbol has a unique design of colors and shapes set within a square. The flags are proportional, that is to say they can be of any size as long as the ratio of parts is the same. Each symbol has a name where the first letter of the name is the designated letter. For example to indicate the letter A the flag is call Alfa. The symbol flag is white and blue with the blue shape looking like the letter K.
In the usual family name panels there are three sections:
With the height of the letters a panel is usually just a little over 9" high. The length depends on the number of letters or symbols.
The Nautical Symbols are a little different. Each letter symbol is a 3" square. The symbol is surrounded with clear glass on all sides to better set of the symbol. Thus the width is approximately 5". The length is set by the number of symbols with each approximately 5" as well. So the Nautical panel shown below for the name G R U B B S was about 30" in length
Below are photographs of some designs.
Dating back to the WWI timeframe a Blue Star pendent or banner was used as a sign of a family member in active military service
while a Gold Star banner was reserved for a member who died in active service. The Gold Star was to be sewn over the
Blue Star with a little of the blue still showing. The Department of Defense (DOD) eventually set the design and proportions of the pendent.
I've tried to follow the DOD standards as best I can within the limitations of creating a stained glass
panel from specifications originally intended for a banner hand sewn from fabric. The advantage of a stained glass panel is that the colors
in the glass should last unchanged for many generations. In my opinion a stained glass panel in the approximate dimensions of 8.25" wide and 15.75"
high render the correct proportions, according to the DOD standards, and yield a window hanging that will fit almost any space. This is the
size of the photo shown on the right.
A photo of the just the star area in the panel, with the lead came painted blue, is shown on the left.
My panels are constructed with a zinc outer perimeter, for strength, and traditional lead came for the interior lines.
I clean, wax and polish all my handmade panels. Hanging hooks are attached to the zinc frame. The glass source, colors and texture used are as follows:
The numbers following the glass descriptions above are the Spectrum Corporation product numbers ®.
Having made such a panel in 2008, I became aware of how meaningful it is to the family. I think this is especially true since a stained glass panel can become a family item passed on for many generations representing the sacrifice made by the family for our country.
I have created a document that describes how I build a gold star stained glass panel. The file is fairly larger, 6 Megs. Use the following link to the document -- Gold Star Panel Building Information. My hope is that other stained glass artists or hobbyists will find this document useful if they have an opportunity to help families. I would also welcome feedback on the document.
Opal panels when back lighted can be truly beautiful. When no window is available or when you desire the panel to be viewed at night then a light box may be the answer. Since I also do woodworking I construct my own light boxes to the size of the panel desired from a variety of hardwoods. While other sizes are possible, the photographs show opal panels 16" wide and 24" high. The light box is 20" wide by 28" high by 3 1/4" in depth. Four T5 micro fluorescent fixtures supply the interior light. The vertical sides have 14 Watt 22" units while the top and bottom have 8 Watt 12" units. This yields a well light space without and "hot" spots. The lights are available in 2 wire polarized or 3 wire grounded, for commercial use.
The photo on the left shows one of a set of 6 boxes that feature the Lighthouses of the Outer Banks, technically called Light Stations by the USCG. This panel shows the most famous Outer Banks
Lighthouse, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. The photo was taken with the interior light off. Try as I could I couldn't get a good image with the lights on.
My camera, at least in my hands, couldn't capture the beauty and depth of the multi-layer opal glasses. When I got one section looking as the human
eye sees it, some other area was either over or under exposed.
The photo on the right shows the upper right corner of the light box. It shows the attached hanging hooks as well as some the detail of the box's construction. This light box is made from red oak box. It is stained with MinWax "Golden Oak" stain and protected with three coats of MinWax clear satin Wipe-On ® polyurethane.
The Outer Banks Lighthouse series includes the following, going from South to North along the Outer Banks stations in North Carolina and Virginia:
To view images of all my Outer Banks Lighthouse series use this link.
I also have a second series, with a religious theme, that includes the following, not in their light boxes yet:
One of the types of more elaborate scenes I have had numerous requests for are seascapes. Sea scenes usually involve more complex individual glass segments as well as more pieces per unit area. Thus the cost, per square foot, is often 1.5 to 2 times my more geometric layouts.
The panels shown on the right cover the lower area of a side by side set of standard double
hung windows. The space covered is approximately 2 foot high by 4 foot wide. The scene is
tropical fish, sea weeds, and some coral. The individual elements are taken from
"Tropical Waters - Sea Life Patterns for Stained Glass" by Leslie Gibbs. The arrangement
is mine.
The design and colors were selected to match the client's bathroom tiles. The water is done in four shades of Spectrum Blue Waterglass ®, the sea weeds in two shades of Spectrum Green Waterglass ®, and the coral is a pink opal glass.
The fish depicted are French Angelfish and Spotfin Butterfly fish.
The panels shown left and right depict an above and below water scene. The left panel,
above the water, is installed above the right panel, the below water scene. The panel
set is installed in oak framing not shown in these photographs.
The panels cover a fixed window 4 foot high by 2 foot wide area, a size too large for me to ship as a single panel, from the East to the West Coast. The solution is a two panel design in oak frames with a horizontal frame "joiner" between them.
The upper panel follows a photo, supplied by the client, of dolphins playing at sun set. They are playful mammals! Perhaps they appreciate my depiction of them saying Good Night to our setting sun. The dolphin images are bevel clusters from Warner Art Glass ®, one of my suppliers. The blues used in the sky are Sky Blue and Pale Blue Spectrum Rough Rolled, to yield privacy, along with Pink Opal clouds and a Ruby Red Cathedral sun. The dolphins are surrounded by Light Blue Waterglass ®.
The lower panel, below the sea surface, contains three bevel fish and elements similar to the sea elements in the panel set above. The bevel fish, from Warner Art Glass ®, depict a Tiger fish and small angel fish. The water is Medium Blue and Cobalt Blue Spectrum Waterglass ® while the sea weeds are Spectrum Moss Green and Olive Green / Sea Green Waterglass ®. The coral is a pink Bulls Eye glass with a surface texture that resembles coral.
Here is a Celtic transom featuring a central Claddagh design. The full transom is 52" wide and 10" wide. The Claddagh segment is approximately 10" wide by 8" high.
The Claddagh element, as shown below, can be easily scaled in size, keeping the length to height ratio fixed, so that it could be used in many art glass window panels of different dimensions.
Claddagh central element sized at approximately 10" wide by 8" high.
Here is a Celtic Knot transom. The design shown uses two facing heart knots. The hearts knot
clusters are from Warner Art Glass. The panel is
36" wide and 12" high.
The inner glass segments, within the bevels of the knot, are light green GNA glass to help define the bevels. The rest of the glass is Spectrum Clear Baroque ®, with it striking swirl lines. The outer border is composed of clear rectangular bevels. This panel has a zinc frame painted black to match wrought iron decor in the client's setting.
This layout can also be fabricated using blue stained glass, as shown in the second image. In the photo the border is Spectrum Cobalt Blue WaterGlass ®,
the small blue segments within the Celtic Knots is Spectrum Light Blue Artique ®, and the clear glass is Spectrum Clear Baroque ®.
The photo shows two panels, approximately 15" high by 36" long. The color image has a Royal Scottish feel.
The image on the left shows part of a set of transoms constructed in clear glass. The form is similar from the shortest unit, just 20" wide, to the longest one at 31".
All units have the same height of 15". The particular sizes were for the specific needs of my client.
The simple lines and clear glass yield an elegant layout while the use of Spectrum Clear Baroque adds the special visual appear characteristic of this glass.
The layout is such that it can be constructed within a wide range of sizes. As shown this layout could be used in any space that is at least 12" high and 20" wide.
The center of each uses a similar 7 piece cluster with a 3" circular bevel at the center. The central bevel cluster is approximately 16" in width. The widest unit had room for star bevels on either side.
The design details are:
A custom interior soffit panel, a transom like panel positioned horizontally in an opening facing down, featured in the May 30, 2014 edition of "The Wall Street Journal" in the article "A Fine Home For Wine". This was a special item designed to the specifications of
the client.
While this was a unique client request I have made many other large panels using wine bottle bottoms. So if such unique design style is of interest send me an email using the link at the bottom of this page. I would note that there are many artists that use wine bottles and wine bottle parts to make art objects in glass and fused glass. However, use of just the bottle bottom encircled with lead came and integrated into a larger piece, as shown in the two construction images, is a specialty I've refined.
A custom stained glass interior door transom made from Spectrum Clear Baroque ®
glass with a center four piece fleur-de-lis bevel cluster, side 2" star bevels,
and a border of 1.5" rectangular bevels. This arrangement can be made in many sizes.
I have also used this design for exterior transoms.
Due to UPS and FedEx Ground shipping limitations single panels can be constructed up to about 36" in length, the length of standard single door interior openings. Larger sizes like those over double doors and French doors can be made by using overlapping sections as shown in the photograph.
The transom shown is constructed from two sections for a total length of 54" and a height of 12". In the photograph, the top section is the right side while the bottom section is the left side. The overlap came line is thinner then the edge zinc came.
The second transom in this group, on the left, uses frosted glass, three 3" bevels with frosted tops, and a Spectrum Cobalt Blue Waterglass ® trim.
The effect, especially with the curved end pieces, has a Victorian feel.
The third image, on the right, is a variation of the first blue piece. It features a 12 piece bevel cluster in the form of a Scallop Shell at the center, at about 6" high.
It is 36" wide but only 8.5" high. The thin interior border is Spectrum Cobalt Medium Blue Waterglass ®.
The fourth image in this group, on the left, shows a 12" by 48" unit that uses star bevels and two Pineapple bevel clusters. The clear glass is Spectrum WaterGlass®.
The border is 1.5" rectangular bevels.
The panel on the left is a family name panel 9.5" high and 19" wide. However, the
height dimension is well within many of the transoms I have made. By using some star bevels
on either side of the name, this design would work well in a transom layout.
The letters are Spectrum Medium Green Waterglass ® surrounded by Spectrum Clear Waterglass ®. The upper case B is 3" high. The outer bevel border uses inside corner bevels for a little extra effect. The letters could be done in any color.
A transom doesn't have to be just clear glass and bevels, if you want color just
inquire.
The photograph on the right top shows a transom, approximately 12" by 32",
done in Spectrum Sky Blue Waterglass ® in the central area with an outer border of clear rectangular bevels. The star bevels
are also clear glass.
The photograph on the right bottom shows a transom, approximately 11.5" by 32",
done in Spectrum Waterglass ® greens: the outer border is Hunter Green and the inner
glass is Sea Green. The bevels shown are pale green. Note: The central fleur-de-lis
bevel cluster is no longer available in green but is available in clear. The star bevels
are available in green.
Transoms can be constructed in many lengths, as all my work is custom one piece at a time creations. The photo on the left shows three Fleur-de-lis
units using Spectrum Clear Baroque ® in 24", 26", and 30" lengths. All are 12" high.
The units have the same form achieved by selecting different bevel lengths for the border regions.
Thus each has the same number of bevels along the border segments.
The photograph on the left shows a transom for a single width doorway. It is 28" wide and 14" high.
The white glass is Spectrum clear translucent (307S) while the small yellow segments are
Spectrum semi-translucent yellow opal. All the clear glass segments are Spectrum Clear
Waterglass ®. The lead came used is two different sizes, most is flat 1/4"
with some flat 3/8".
The golden tone of the clear glass is due to the
fall background viewed through this window.
The photo on the right shows a variation of my "Rising Suns" panels. This is a Moon transom.
The moon is made from Spectrum Firelight Opal®. See my page on Arts and Crafts designs for images of the "Rising and Setting" sun panels.
I now live in the South, in North Carolina. So for all in the South and those that just like southern flowers here is a
transom where the main design feature is a large Southern Magnolia. The glass surrounding the flower is Spectrum Clear Rough Rolled. The Border is
a Spectrum Wispy Ivory Opal. The flower is made from Spectrum White Opal with a Solid Yellow Opal center. The leaves are a two toned green
Spectrum Waterglass ®.
Here are two transoms with dimensions commonly seen in 1900's homes. Each is 20" high and 32" wide.
The unit on the right uses large bevels called double house in the center, half double house on the sides, plus 3" square and half square bevels to fill out the top and bottom.
The unit on the left uses a 4 piece bevel cluster, some 3" square and half square bevels, a rectangular bevel border along with some Spectrum amber opal glass.
Other layouts are possible using house, half house, square and half square bevels as shown below. While house bevels only come in one width and two heights, if they are combined with squares and half squares a range of sizes are possible. If a border is added then almost any size can be accommodated.
Below are three layouts.
The first is 30" wide and 13.5" high using house bevels and square and half square bevels.
The second is 30" wide and 0.5" high using house and half house bevels.
The third is 30.75" wide and 14.75" high and has a top and bottom border made from 1" rectangular bevels.
If you are interested in additional information about sizes and layouts that can be constructed with House Bevels
use the following link
House Bevel Transom Designs by George McGinn.
It assumes you have the Adobe Reader available.
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About the most common question asked related to transoms installation is "Will I need to remove my current transom?" The answer is no! For a current window, under about 30 year old, or for one you are currently planning to install the standard commercial units are double pane insulated glass. The stained glass panels I construct are installed as inserts over the interior side. The existing double pane window is not altered or even touched.
The only time I have constructed transom panels that are directly exposed to the outside is for replacements for older homes, usually pre-1900, that want or need to keep their original look for historical restoration reasons.
If you are having a new transom window installed and think you may want a custom stained glass panel make sure you order a transom that is just clear glass with NO interior lattice work. I have constructed stained glass panels for windows with such lattice work but it limits the design options since I need to position came to line up with the lattice lines.
Most transom windows will have some amount of window trim space as well as some amount of
sill space. The photo on the right shows what I mean by "sill" and "trim" areas via the
marked arrows. Some transom areas will have no trim area, that is to say the exposed glass
will extend out to the sill. This arrangement can be easily handled although about 1/2"
of the exposed glass will be covered by the outside metal trim of the stained glass panel.
The recommended sill depth is about one inch. If your area has less sill depth please let me
know.
The photo also shows that for this case there is a small inner recess of the
actual glass surface and the trim area. I would usually recommend mounting the stained glass
panel on the outer sill leaning against the white trim area marked in the photo.
The second photo on the right shown common oak quarter round molding surrounding the inside
perimeter of the stained glass panel to hold it in place. Only this molding is attached to
the existing window sill. The stained glass panel sits on the sill. I supply small
polyurethane bumpers that are placed on either side of the outer frame of the stained glass
panel. These keep the panel from direct contact with the existing trim and the molding. So
the panel will not rattle yet is held in place with a soft but firm fit. I supply a detailed
installation document for use by you or your contractor.
To see sample guidelines for interior transom installation use the following link -- Transom Installation Guidelines. It assumes you have the Adobe Reader available.
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Trying to repair or remodel an existing door can be a challenge. The sizes and shapes of door inserts are endless. This is when my ability to fit a custom design to your door's unique size is indispensable. Below are samples of some door remodeling efforts. The individual panels are approximately 7" by 12".
On the left is shown an insert using Spectrum Clear Baroque glass around a four-piece bevel cluster. The photo was taken with a light source behind the panel to simulate the nighttime appearance of the panel when interior lights are on.
In the center is a set of door inserts made from rectangular bevels. The panels are 12" high and 7 1/8"wide.
On the right is a photo of one of these panels taken at night. The photo is from the outside looking in to a lighted room.
Door inserts can be larger than the samples shown above. On the left is a panel,
almost like a small transom, that is installed into a custom door made many years ago
by the client's father. It uses 10" rectangular bevels, clear textured glass, and six
small opal squares in red, blue, and white.
Due to ground shipping limitations it is difficult to ship large door inserts, those exceeding about 5 square foot in size. However, if you have a need, send an email and I will discuss the options available.
The photograph shows a custom stained glass Wine Bottle Bottom hanging. The layout
shown uses 7 bottle bottoms. Some have punts, the bump on the bottle's bottom. The colors
of the bottle bottoms can vary. The current price is $75 plus shipping (2/2011).
The color range includes shades of blue, green, amber and clear. Most come with or without punts. The spaces around the circular bottle bottoms are left open. This seven bottle circular design is a 10" diameter circle.
This original hanging is on display at Chatham Hill Winery, a local North Carolina winery. They supply me with empty bottles from their wine tasting room. You can visit their web site by use the following link: Chatham Hill Winery
Larger designs are possible. Just send me an email with your size requirements.