It all started many years ago when a young Simon Simonian first stepped inside the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres in Paris. He looked up and witnessed firsthand the majestic stained glass windows. He was awed instantly, almost humbled by such a striking presence. The fascination started from that point. The vibrancy of the colors, the almost ethereal energy about it, it struck a chord.
Later on, while visiting Jerusalem, Simon came upon the famous Marc Chagall stained glass windows in Hadassah hospital. Again, the magnificence stopped him in his tracks and mesmerized him. It spoke to him and sparked inspiration.
Years later, when Simon completed a particular painting titled The Leader, he walked into his studio and looked at it on the easel and saw it from an objective viewpoint, as though he’d never seen it before. He noticed it had a rather illuminated sort of feel, reminiscent of that which he saw in Paris. Suddenly, he wondered to himself “How would this look on glass?”
This is when the epiphany happened and he realized that THIS was his niche. This was the medium where he could integrate his architectural knowledge with his fine art skills and produce creations that would have a lasting, positive and inspiring effect upon others.
Simonian set out to experiment and mastered this craft diligently, not only the traditional techniques but also developing his own proprietary methods.
He decided to pursue this passion seriously.
His son, Emanuel Simonian, owned and operated The Oculus Gallery, an art gallery in Sherman Oaks, California which showcased independent artists. He offered Simon the opportunity to launch a new dimension under the umbrella of his gallery: creations in stained/leaded glass and art glass. The popularity soared and projects started to get commissioned with an increasingly high demand. And voila, Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio was born.
Highly prolific since, we have become one of the foremost studios of our kind, helping spearhead the new age of stained/leaded glass.
In 2010, to accommodate growth, Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio relocated to nearby Van Nuys, California, to a studio dedicated exclusively to design and production.
