BY GINNY RAUE
HEWITT — Stained glass has a far-reaching and interesting history. While the methods, materials and styles have changed over the centuries, the time-consuming precision work remains the same.
Just ask West Milford resident Susan Schrier, the owner of Stained Glass Pro. She’ll tell you that she labors for 40-45 hours to make a single lamp – and she loves every minute of it.
Through the looking glassWhether it was the Phoenicians, the Egyptians or the Mesopotamians who first discovered glass, by all accounts is was purely by accident. The earliest known artisan-colored glass pieces were Egyptian beads, dating back to around 2700 BC.
Stained glass windows appeared in wealthy Roman homes in the first century as well as in mosques and palaces in the Middle East. Discovered in Germany, the earliest stained glass depicting a character dates back to the 10th century.
Stained glass enjoyed popularity until around the time of the Renaissance. In the mid-19th century, interest turned once again to the art and windows created by the likes of John La Farge, Louis Tiffany and Marc Chagall served as models of excellence in modern stained glass.
Known by the company you keepSo Schrier finds herself in good company, and while she doesn’t equate herself to the well-known artists, she does have 25 years of experience. She puts her all into her work and is only finished with a piece when it meets her rigid standards. It’s how she conducts all her business.
For Schrier stained glass is her business, but not necessarily her bread and butter. The love of creating, as many artists have learned, must often be complemented by other employment.
Schrier, 62, supplements her income as a professional hairdresser at nursing homes and assisted living facilities where she demands the same level of satisfaction in a finished hair style as in a finished piece of glass.
Her status as a Juried Vermont Crafter carries some weight.
“‘Juried’ means that only the best quality gets accepted to go into the festival for show, mostly in front of more professionals," she said. "Juried crafters are top of the line.
It’s only fittingSchrier works primarily with Cathedral glass (transparent) or Opal glass (non-transparent). Choosing a pattern and the appropriate coordinating glass is the first step, followed by careful cutting and grinding.
“You set it back on your pattern to make sure it fits. It has to be within the margin of the width of a magic marker,” she said. There’s little room for error.
Then you have to foil, solder, wax and polish the piece and set it in its chosen frame.
“It takes hours; everything has to fit perfectly.”
Schrier creates stained glass panels, night lights, lamps, kitchen cabinet windows, card holders, mosaics, miscellaneous glass pieces and custom made stepping stones.
“You can put stepping stones in your garden or by your pool as decorative pieces,” she said.
Schrier shows and sells her work from her Hewitt home but you can preview her art on her web site. She is also open to making custom pieces upon request.
She lives lakeside and enjoys working on her deck in the warm weather or in the light from her kitchen double doors; nature abounding outside relaxes her.
“There’s a lot of equipment involved and you have to be very patient," Schrier said. "It’s very intricate work but I like everything that I do.”
Sources: http://www.Kog.com, http://www.americanvisionwindows.com