Chimney Rock, with light shining through the window

Chimney Rock, window at night with no light shinning through

I recently took a stained glass window making class at Ghost Ranch, in New Mexico. I had planned to make a 19"x39" window to fit the small window that sits above my piano. The teacher, Olive Smith, recommended that beginners uses 30 pieces of glass or less. This was sound advice, but a window with just 30 pieces didn't fit with my plan. I thought, "I went to art school, I THINK I can handle stained glass." To make matters worse, I did my own design, a view of the incredible scenery at Ghost Ranch, instead of sticking with a pattern. Well...my window ended up being more than 80 pieces of glass. My pieces were difficult to cut because of all the curves. If my boyfriend, Jerry, hadn't given up his fishing, hiking, and reading time to help, I would have come home from New Mexico with baggies of numbered glass pieces. Luckily, he did help, and later built the frame we hung the window in.

Olive Smith was an excellent teacher. And now, every time the light in our living room changes, Jerry and I have a glowing reminder of a stunningly beautiful landscape in our livingroom.