Author: Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio

Art is capable of creating a powerful effect upon the viewer. This is certainly true of artistically done stained/leaded glass.

The effect is lasting and one that really has to be experienced firsthand.

In a church or religious building, it gives a sense of sanctity to the parishioner, making it conducive for making the spiritual connection, and creating a real sense of refuge.

It is always fascinating to see church, temple, mosque and other worship attendance increase after renovations have been done that include stained/leaded glass.

In commercial and public buildings, it creates a memorable and distinguishable feature which lends to their recognition and esteem. Interestingly enough, patronage and attendance have been known to increase when such a building is considered aesthetic.

Stained/leaded glass is actually most popular in residential properties. A home is one’s abode; it’s their retreat and their hub of living and base of operating. One’s domestic environment must be favorable. Because of the aesthetic and environmental nature of this medium, it is capable of producing many positive psychological effects upon its owner(s) and/or viewer(s).

It improves mood. When one enters their home, they’re stepping into their sanctuary.

It can cheer one, uplifting them, bringing happiness and joy when least expected but most often needed.

It can also calm one, causing relaxation and alleviating stress. Many clients report that they feel gravitated toward their stained glass for this very reason, enjoying their coffee or “me time” or otherwise spending quality time and recharging their batteries under its aura or glow.

Despite seeing the stained/leaded glass regularly, it has the power to create a constant and renewed sense of wonder and awe. This transforms one consciously. Any quality art is timeless.

It has the power to draw and attract. This is especially true when entertaining. A beautiful dome, skylight or window is a very coveted possession and a real item of prestige. It wows guests. Owners have real pride in their commissioned projects and truly impress others. Quite often, such works become the primary topics of conversation during parties and other gatherings.

The therapeutic advantages with this medium are indeed marvelous.

A notheworthy phenomenon that’s been observed and experienced routinely is the potential investment factor involved with stained/leaded glass, particularly with skylight domes in high-end residential properties.

Disclaimer: Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio is NOT claiming, recommending or advocating that stained/leaded glass of any kind will necessarily become a profitable investment. That is not the purpose nor area of Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio, who is merely sharing its observations and experiences as narrative.

There are developers who specifically commission Simon Simonian to design and build skylight domes (in particular) for their affluent residential investment properties as they claim it raises their property value and expedites their selling.

There are also clientele who’ve attributed that their property sold profitably due to the presence of Simonian’s domes, skylights and windows.

As a point of interest and supposition, let’s examine the various theories behind this claim made by various individuals.

Firstly, these creations are gorgeous. Their beauty alone greatly enhances and elevates their entire space. A home that is a masterpiece of design and architecture is a lot more prestigious than one that is of a pretentious, generic or cookie-cutter design (despite its size or cost). The inclusion of Simonian’s stained/leaded glass structural handiworks automatically gives originality to a property, thus also prestige. A stunningly beautiful home is an impressive home.

Secondly, what Simonian does is considered original art. That dome, window or skylight exists nowhere else in design. It is not duplicated elsewhere, but remains unique to that property. This automatically gives a special feature to that property that does not exist anywhere else.

Also, Simonian’s domes are usually in very high-end properties, and these types of estates are intrinsically big ticket items, so they tend to be profitable for those investing into them, such as developers, etc.

Simonian’s creations in structural stained/leaded glass are more or less permanent. This medium is known for its longevity in structures, therefore tending to increasingly gain value, whereas regular windows are dispensible.

These are just some theories, but claims have definitely been made routinely by various developers and homeowners.

And the investment potential is an interesting point to bring up and discuss. However, the real purpose for Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio is to create stunning original art in this medium and to spearhead its innovative and contemporary use. Stained/leaded glass is, first and foremost, for those who love and appreciate art and have that sophistication and taste.

And ultimately, it’s that appeal which lends itself to investment potential.

What factors affect the pricing of stained/leaded glass?

The sheer size of a project is an obvious one. A large skylight dome or atrium ceiling or set of large windows will cost considerably more than a suncatcher, for example. This goes without saying.

The primary factor affecting cost is the amount of labor involved. It’s not so much the material as most mistakenly believe, but the man-hours required.

What influences production time mainly is the intricacy and technical complexity of a design, as these simply demand more work by virtue of their nature.

Let’s take two window panels of the exact same size. One has a simpler minimalist design. The other has a much more elaborate design. The latter will obviously cost more as it will require more effort to build.

Labor is the CHIEF factor affecting price. Materials, much less so. However, there are some aspects of materials which do, so we will delineate these.

Warmer colors of glass such as reds, oranges and yellows tend to be slightly more expensive than others due to the fact that actual gold is quite often used in their manufacturing. The price difference is slight though.

A fallacy is that colored glass costs more than noncolored. This is not true.

Beveled glass is always a bit costlier as it requires the additional step of beveling (cutting at angles) to manufacture. Custom beveling such glass will cost a bit more than readily available beveled pieces.

If one wishes to incorporate special kiln-fired glass, such as pieces that have painting on glass or are fused glass, this costs additionally as it is also custom work.

But it’s the necessary labor (production hours and effort) involved that remains the main factor behind pricing.

Now given our exceptional quality and level of expertise, one would consider that our prices would be through the roof. But this isn’t the case at all. Yes, one is indeed getting unmatched quality of workmanship and exclusive, custom work. However, we at Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio tend to remain competitive in terms of price, believe it or not. But how so?

You see, the very element that ensures our quality ALSO ensures competitive prices. We handle and oversee the entire process, start to finish, in-house. We do not outsource. This maintains artistic integrity and quality of craftsmanship and also happens to keep our overhead down. It guarantees quality while allowing us to remain competitive in price.

Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio is the exclusively atelier for artist/designer Simon Simonian. In this medium, the materials are his paint brush and the work table is his canvas. So each creation is hands-on.

Also, for larger structural projects,we are not necessitated to pay for professional consultation with architects and contractors, as we already have these qualifications internally.

An interesting quality of stained/leaded glass is its durability and potential longevity. This is evidenced by the many historic buildings you see around Europe, centuries old, whose stained glass is still intact, some even lasting through two world wars.

What makes it robust is its structure. Several pieces of glass are encased by lead. The lead tends to absorb much of the shock of impact, dispersing it. So if a panel sustains damage through impact or whatever reason, it is usually to one or a few individual glass pieces, which can be easily replaced. The majority of the work tends to remain unharmed, whereas with regular glass or tempered glass, one crack or rupture is usually cause to replace the entire thing.

Also, when individual glass pieces in a leaded glass work get damaged, they tend to crack mostly, rarely shattering. Compare this to regular glass which shatters and splinters its shards everywhere or with tempered glass, which crumbles and ricochets and scatters.

In the case of a burglary, leaded glass is actually a deterrent. If a would-be thief attempts to break into a property and is confronted with a large sheet of glass, it is easy to shatter it with one strike or to cut out a section and thus make a large enough space to crawl through. With leaded glass, the intruder would have to break each piece of glass, and would then have the lead as an additional barrier, making it very time-consuming and nearly impossible to break through, making it too much of an effort and thus acting as an effective discouragement.

When one attempts stained/leaded glass using poor or shoddy labor or materials in order to cut corners, they undermine its structural integrity and make their finished product faulty and much more prone to structural damage. This goes without saying.

But, if constructed traditionally and properly, stained/leaded glass is known for its sturdiness and tends to hold up well, even during earthquakes, and can last possibly for centuries.

Illumination is one of the most essential characteristics of stained/leaded glass. Without it, the most intrinsic quality of this medium is lost. Therefore, it is evident that lighting is a crucial element.

Traditionally, stained glass windows relied on natural sunlight. And this is still very much the case with stained/leaded glass. But as this medium made its way into our modern world, artificial lighting is also used today.

As far as which type of lighting gets used, natural or artificial, this really depends on the individual nature and type of each project and its feasibility as well. Sometimes it’s strictly natural; sometimes it’s strictly artificial; sometimes it’s a combination of both. It all depends, really.

The aim is to have the most optimum appearance and presentation in the final product. How this is achieved depends exclusively on the knowledge, skill and experience of the designer/artist according to the architectural vision and layout of the environment.

It is a factor that is considered and optimized in a custom manner uniquely for each project.

There is no quesion that regular glass gives one dimension and spaciousness in an otherwise enclosed space. It integrates the sheltered and cozy indoors with the broader outdoors. Sunrooms are dedicated to this. A panoramic or breathtaking view is even one of the most sought-after features of many homes and office buildings. Mid-century suburban homes in Southern California indulged in this principle, as did much Bauhaus architecture. And contemporary buildings of all types utilize the clear and seemingly nonexistent barrier of plain glass to link the occupant with the landscape, cityscape or palette of nature outside.

But a building or a room is also an intimate space. Perhaps one desires a protected space from the elements or forces outside, or simply wants seclusion and privacy. After all, there is a reason for walls and a roof over ones head. And everyone needs a space to call their own.

The advantage of leaded/stained glass is that it can produce either effect – it can give spaciousness or privacy.

While most people believe that color and lighting are the primary factors involved with this, the trick lies mostly with which type of glass gets used.

Transparent glass, such as cathedral glass, is essentially “see-through” and allows more lights and shapes to transmit through. Translucent glass such as opaque glass filters more light and leans more toward intimacy. Certain textured glass may also produce this effect.

Even under bright, direct sunlight, using brighter colors, one can achieve more privacy if that’s what he/she desires.

And it is totally possible to achieve both affects at the same time as well!

It boils down to what effect or ambience one is seeking.

It requires a very specialized expertise of having both architectural and building savvy as well as fine art endownment in order to truly accomplish this.

As stained/leaded glass has its origins in pigments that acted as permanent dyes to actually stain the glass, it is most often associated with being colorful. That is indeed its historic context. However, as this medium progressed into the modern world, all sorts of artistic glass started to get used in leaded glass creations, including ones with bevels, textures, etc., and the variety broadened from its palette of being strictly colorful.

The glass available and used does not have to be colored at all. Such colorless glass is most often textured and comes in a variety of transparence and opaqueness. This allows for creations to be integrated into architectural and interior designs that are minimalist and/or of neutral colors.

The misconception that stained/leaded glass is always colored is archaic and obsolete. There is quite an extensive variety of different types of art glass that can and do get used.

As a glass artist, Simon Simonian is most recognized for his stunning creations in stained or leaded glass. But he also indulges in fused glass art with such works as glass sculptures, bowls, platters, vases, portraits and painting on glass, all fired in our kiln.

But most notably, it’s his ability to integrate custom creations in fused glass into his leaded glass creations, a special aspect of Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio.

The entire variety of glass in various colors, textures and qualities used in leaded glass is commercially available, made by specialist companies for that very purpose. We can access and use any and all of it.

But where we have a whole other dimension is in creating custom pieces of glass, firing them up in our kiln. Whether fusing or drawing/painting on glass, these special works we can then incorporate into our unique creations in stained/leaded glass.

There is no shortage of versatility in what we can do in this manner.

A special type of glass is BEVELED GLASS, which is a slightly thicker sheet of glass that is cut at angles, known as BEVELS. This is done to give the shimmering effect much the same as that achieved with diamonds. Light refracts upon the bevels and gets separated into its spectrum of colors, creating a sparkly, almost jewel-like, sort of rainbow effect. Because of this, beveled glass is usually clear. And while it can occasionally be colored, it’s the clearness that gives the most optimum visual effect.

It is readily available in certain sizes and shapes, but it can also be custom-ordered and cut into desirable shapes.

Beveled glass can be used exclusively or integrated with other types of glass in leaded glass creations. It is most commonly used in vertical windows that reflect outdoor light and at closer viewing range as opposed to lofty windows or skylights so that the subtle but “bedazzling” effect can be better appreciated.

We work in beveled glass as part of what we do, but of course.

The glass used in stained/leaded glass is manufactured by specialist companies and comes in a plethora of colors, patterns, textures and styles. It is silica-based and, if colored, done so with various mineral and other pigments.

Here are its basic categories, each of which contains a myriad of varieties.

CATHEDRAL GLASS – This is the name given to glass that is basically transparent. It is usually colored. This is the most common type of art glass used in stained glass.

OBSCURE GLASS – This is the name given to glass that is opaque. It has various sub-categories, ranging from completely opaque to relatively translucent. It too is usually colored.

TEXTURED GLASS – This is the name given to glass that has a texture to it, whether tactile or only visual. It can be transparent or opaque. Some are not even colored but clear. Some textured glass is smooth to the touch with the texture being only visual, some you can feel the texture with your hand.

An interesting fact: Did you know that actual gold is used in most warm colored (i.e., red, yellow, etc.) glass to give it its color?

We possess samples of all sorts of cathedral, obscure and textured glass and can show these to prospective clients, as well as replicate them in renderings for commissioned projects.