Find out some FAQ's about Ron; his world of stained glass; and everything else you wanted to know about stained glass.
Stained Glass FAQ - Questions you might ask
Q: I would like to buy some of your stained glass through this website but I do not see a link to buy.
- Christine Donavan, Toronto, Ontario.
A: Sorry, I do not sell online. Purchasing stained glass items is not cheap, and with the cost of postage and insurance, the final cost of a stained glass item would be too expensive for most. If you really must have a stained glass item seen on this website, feel free to copy any photo seen here and ask a stained glass artisan in your area to reproduce it. Good luck!
Q: I would like to make my own stained glass, do you have any patterns?
- Sandra Shaw, Montreal, Quebec.
A: Oh yes! I have posted a few patterns of some of the projects featured on this website. Check out the patterns page to view and download.
Q: Hey! Why is purchasing stained glass art so expensive?
- Patricia Lalonde, Pointe-Claire, Quebec.
There is nothing cheap about creating stained glass art, beginning with the chemicals, equipment and tools. Glass cutters and grinders are expensive tools that have to be continually maintained. A wide range of chemicals are also used in creating each piece of glass art including flux, patena, cleaners and more. Then, there's the glass art itself. I usually use a type of glass called Youghiogheny, which is hand made glass from the United States. This is a superior quality glass with fantastic colours, and a price to match.
Finishing products are also needed for each project like copper foil, lead and hardware. Last but not least, each piece takes time to make. A simple nightlight can take anywhere from 2 to 10 hours to make. A larger project, like a lamp or a panel could take anywhere from 10 to 500 hours to complete.
Louis Comfort Tiffany - Our Inspiration
Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933), the celebrated jewelry and glass designer, was born the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Co. His remarkable career designing jewelry, windows and decorative glass spanned 57 years including his tenure with L.C. Tiffany & Associated Artists, the Tiffany Glass Company, Tiffany Studios, Tiffany Furnaces, and L.C. Tiffany Furnaces. In 1902 he became Tiffany & Co.'s first Design Director, creating fantastic jewelry designs inspired both by nature and the art of other cultures. His patent for opalescent window glass in 1881 and his commissions for Mark Twain, Cornelius Vanderbilt and many others earned him an international reputation. His work has been honored by museums and treasured by collectors around the world.
About The Artist
I have been doing stained glass for more than 20 years and really love this kind of art. With the right mix of colours and glass along with the right design, a stained glass object will add a certain elegance to any home.
I first started working with stained glass because I needed something better than glass jars for my venus flytrap plants. A friend, Brian Lapierre suggested that something in stained glass would be perfect for my plants. It took a couple of years, and with the help of Brian, I finally made my first terrarium out of glass, and I must say it was beautiful and the venus flytraps loved it, too. For the first time in my life, I was able to raise venus flytraps to maturity. With the leftover glass from the terrarium, I made a couple of simple nightlights and they looked beautiful. It was then when I got hit with the stained glass bug.
With the help of Brian and another friend, Maggie Mackriss, I slowly learned the art of stained glass. With their patient coaching and my countless questions, I became an experienced stained glass artisan. I am proud of all the work I do and people who have bought some of my work seem to like it, too! In twenty years of working with glass, I have made hundreds of nightlights in more than 30 different designs.
It doesn't stop there! I have made everything in glass from simple suncatchers to 850 piece tiffany style lamps. Check out some of my work and restorations and let me know what you think!
Ronald Zinn
