Stained Glass by Roxanne Keene

After being a stained glass admirer for all of my life I decided a few years ago to learn how it was done. I have never actually seen a stained glass artist work on a piece and I have never taken a class. However I have read everything possible on the art and have self taught myself on the techniques. I admit I may have thrown a soldering iron at one time or I might have said one or two curse words while teaching myself to solder. And yes, everyone in my family has had shards of glass embedded in their bodies, accident. But…..I have mastered the soldering iron & I cut glass so cleanly that I no longer spend my time digging glass bits out of my family. I have patched up all my severed fingers and burned body parts and discovered that the art side of it just came naturally to me, even though I cannot draw. I don't know how the designs I have in my head get onto my glass. I have never used a pattern, I hand draw everything, then cut my glass, grind the glass for soft edges, wrap each piece edge with copper foil tape, burnish the foil tight to each glass piece then solder my design, cut a zinc frame to fit, choose my patina color then hand wax for a beautiful shiny finish. I do most of my heart work and brain work in my little stained glass studio and it is my full self I put into every piece big or small and i believe it shows in my work. Every piece I finish is my most favorite and most beautiful I have ever made but I can't wait to start on the next one. I get lost in it. Love it. Will always do it. There is nothing like finishing a piece and holding it up to the light to see what has been created from plain sheets of glass…by me!