What a better time to write about the window we're building for the Saint Francis Of Assisi Catholic church in Orem, Utah. It's a beautiful window! I've particularly enjoyed cutting the brown border pieces that are rope-like and thinking about how Christ said he was a "fisher of men." So that has some meaning and the entire panel is packed with symbols and meaning in the shapes and the colors. I'm sure that those who view the panel in the sanctuary where is is installed will find even greater depth and meaning in its' content. Stained glass artists I meet often try to avoid doing religious works because they don't want to be held to the past. They want to break free of the religious nature that were the beginnings of stained glass. Jeanne and I feel that religious inspiration is one of the beautiful aspects of stained glass. We love to include inspirational elements to all of our works. The interaction between glass and light is a sometimes miraculous result and we love the way the natural beauty of glass can drive us to be inspired. This inspiration is a very personal feeling and I think that artists who try to avoid it must have some underlying suspicion of organized religion. But if they were to step back and analyze the nature of glass, they would find that all glass work can fill us with inspiration. Yes, even the dopey suncatchers your grandmother likes!
The folk angel appears in this blog because we're entering her in the Springville religous and inspirational show.
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