Stained/leaded glass is a craft. It requires technical proficiency, fine materials and manual dexterity to construct properly. However, the artistic element in the finished creation may or may not be present. How well something is made and its aesthetic value are two different aspects; they stand independently of each other, in reality.

A finished product can be of superior quality but can lack artistic value.

This goes so far as many stained glass artisans and hobbyists declaring that they don’t even claim themselves to be artists, but consider themselves more technicians.

What makes something actually artistic though? Some may argue that this is a purely subjective matter, that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. We’re not denying this and our purpose here is not to start any sort of philosophical debate about what art is, but rather to define what constitutes art in the medium of stained/leaded glass.

Ultimately, it’s ones reaction to the final creation. While taste is subjective, there is an almost uniform response when one is in the presence of a beautiful creation. Instictively, one is awed, impressed or moved to some degree or another. It’s an effect that cannot be suppressed or denied.

And this intuitive response on the part of the viewer tends to be prevalent with all or most of an individual’s works, or tends to be lacking entirely. The determing factor here is whether or not the stained/leaded glass craftsman is an artist or not.

Essentially, it’s an innate talent. Either one is gifted with it or they’re not (their inherent gifts are manifested otherwise). This is an axiom. Anyone can become potentially a highly skilled technician in any craft or area, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are an artist. That talent is inborn.

Simon Simonian not only possesses some of the most unique qualifications for designing and building structural stained/leaded glass, with professional knowledge and experience in both architecture and construction, but is also a fine artist, a talent which manifested itself at age 2.

His fine art works span various media, from oil and acrylic paintings to relief sculptures and pastel and charcoal drawings, and it is out of that artistry where his calling for stained/leaded glass was born.