painted and leaded glass - an opinion

[BellaDiva44]

Dear Members

I heard a stained glass artist putting in a new window in our church making disparaging statements about another stained glass company in this way:

The original stained glass company who put in the majority of the SG windows uses the centuries old technique of painting, firing and representational art on mouth blown and machine made glass.  The second stained glass person is a mom and pop operation who make stained glass in their home, have donated these three round windows, and basically do no painting and firing, but cut the glass in easy geometric cuts to form abstract patterns or in simple symbols.  The second stained glass person was disparaging the design and technique of the original stained glass company saying that no one does painting and firing any more, it is simply too expensive and not done very well. 

My question is this.  Do not many many stained glass studios and artists continue to use the painting and firing technique for representational art today?  And is it right for one SG company to put down the work of another SG company?  My guess is this is highly unprofessional.  Many thanks for any background or facts with which I could refute some of the comments made.  I appreciate your help. 

[Richard Gross]

Painting is used every day in studios of all size; it is a centuries-old technique. Many of the techniques of art glass are centuries old. That' a good thing.

Any sort of blanket "nobody does" statement is impossible to defend, as is any blanket statement as to whether painting today is done better or worse than in centuries past. There are a great many artists painting; some are better than others -- you can apply that statement to the work done today or the work done at any time in the past.

The size of a studio has nothing to do with the quality of art they produce, or the craft techniques they use. Some of the best work today is being done by one- or two-person studios.  Some of it is being done by much larger studios, but large studios do not automatically produce good work any more than small studios automatically produce inferior work. I know that isn't the question you're asking, but there was a book published recently that might lead the reader to mistakenly believe that bigger equals better. It simply ain't so.

As for the professionalism of one studio disparaging the work of another studio, your guess is, of coure, exactly right. Unfortunately, there will always be people in any field who are ready with a negative word about others. I, for one, generally consider gossip and backbiting to be more a commentary on the one speaking than the one of whom he speaks.

[glassheritage]

many of the current stained glass studios, including us, paint and fire ... it is an age old technique and when done with quality and care is a remarkable effect. ... more than likely the studio you speak of is not a fully accredited studio and is not versed in the technique ... but yes it is still done and the cost, like anything else is in direct proportion to the complexity of the piece

[Vic Rothman]

" more than likely the studio you speak of is not a fully accredited studio and is not versed in the technique "

So you are implying that only "fully accredited" studio know how to paint on glass. This is a very wrong and misleading statement. My guess would be that over 95% of the stained glass studios in the USA have no accreditation. And lots of these studios can do magnificent painted glass.

[glassheritage]

I am implying nothing ... there are many fine painters out there ... many in your organization .... accreditation allows the client to be aware that they are getting a pre qualified studio ... and I would much prefer not to get into a pissing contest with the AGG of which I am also a member

[Vic Rothman]

I am implying nothing ... there are many fine painters out there ... many in your organization .... accreditation allows the client to be aware that they are getting a pre qualified studio ... and I would much prefer not to get into a pissing contest with the AGG of which I am also a member

I made the comment as a person. The comment had NOTHING to do with the AGG or any other person or group. The comments were mine alone