Seahorse Stained Glass Window- Completed!

I finally finished my seahorse stained glass window project! When I first started taking stained glass classes last year, I was always in a huge hurry to finish my projects. I even worked on them at home, along with going to the glass studio one or more afternoons a week. After a few windows were completed, I realized I could slow down a bit. I already had an addiction to painting which took up most of my free time- alternating between watercolors, oils and acrylics was tricky enough. Adding a new time consuming art form had to be dealt with or I would go crazy trying to keep up with these various artistic endeavors! Now, I have settled down and I finish a window when I finish a window. Sometimes, I even skip a week in my stained glass classes! This seahorse window has been completed at a much slower, more relaxed pace. I made my own original pattern by drawing a large seahorse on a piece of pattern paper, dividing it up like a puzzle to get the colors of glass where I wanted them. After I made the pattern and cut all the pieces, it was time to cut all the glass. Then comes grinding, copper foiling each piece, and finally soldering and putting on the patina. This time, I chose copper patina since I really liked the way the window looked with the copper foil around the pieces of glass. It seems like it took forever- but it is done and I have been able to keep up with my painting, which I try to do most days. My husband got it hung up in one of our highest windows a mere few hours after I finished it!

Thanks for looking!

Sheryl

Tuscan Style Window Mural Painted Over Bar

This is one of the murals in my new house. It is actually the first one I started here since it is in a smaller space and I knew if I didn't like it, the walls would be easier to repaint (no 20 foot ceilings in that area either!). I had to stand on my bar to paint it and that added a few degrees of difficulty. When I was painting up higher I was a bit nervous- couldn't step back at all or I would fall off the bar.

It was a fun mural to paint, and I did use a burnt sienna color of latex to cover the terra cotta "plaster" area to help with the basing-in stage. Then it made it easier to add the multi-colored brick and stone over the latex with acrylic paints. I only have 2 stages to show since I didn't draw it out first- just kind of winged it, which I choose to do sometimes on less difficult compositions. As with all of my paintings, I enjoyed the detail work the most- I even added my husband's sunglasses to the window sill for fun! When I was finished, we had our nephew (who worked with glass) come and add shelves for us.

Thanks for looking!
Sheryl