Author: Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio

When using glass as an artistic medium, it can be classified into three categories: HOT, WARM and COLD GLASS.

HOT GLASS refers primarily to glassblowing, where the artist manipulates a rod with a mass of molten glass at the end of it over a furnace, shaping it into various forms such as vases, jugs, drinking vessels, etc. An intense degree of heat is required to accomplish this, hence the name. The town of Murano, Italy is famous for this.

WARM GLASS uses the heat of a specialized kiln to melt and shape glass. A KILN is an industrial oven or furnace for the firing of various components. It still uses heat, but it’s not as scorching as that of the glassblower’s furnace, thus the name. WARM GLASS is composed of three sub-categories:

FUSING – Melting together pieces of joined glass into one creation.

SLUMPING – Melting and shaping glass over or into a mold, causing it to slump.

CASTING – Melting glass pieces that have been placed inside a mold, thus conforming it to its shape.

As heat is the principle component of creating and shaping glass, COLD GLASS refers to methods which deal with the manipulation of glass at room temperature, long after it has cooled and solidified into shape. Stained/leaded glass, sandblasting and etching would come under this heading.

We at Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio specialize in the cold glass art of stained/leaded glass. But we also do warm glass in our kiln and are able to make custom pieces which we can then incorporate into leaded glass projects.

Stained/leaded glass is most often associated with churches, cathedrals and other religious buildings. Throughout history, this has been its evolution.

However, mention the words “stained glass” and too many people tend to have only ecclesiastical and traditional associations.

But listen…

Whoever said stained glass has to be limited in its design, uses and scope?

Look, stained glass is a medium.

Let’s compare it to oil painting. Certainly, there are traditional and classical oil paintings. But does this mean that all oil paintings anywhere have to be like those of the Renaissance or so? Of course not!

The works in oil of the likes of David Hockney, Andy Warhol and Gottfried Helnwein, for example, are rather contemporary.

A similar analogy can be done with architects. Greats the likes of Richard Neutra, Le Corbusier and Frank Gehry were certainly not limited in their vision with their use of available building materials.

Stained/leaded glass can be incorporated into just about every design style imaginable. It is not restricted to religious buildings, but can be used in most types of residential, commercial or public buildings.

In fact, even historically speaking, stained glass wasn’t entirely limited to just religious structures either, but was used in castles as well.

Stained glass is essentially a medium and what can be done with it depends exclusively on the artist and his creativity, knowledge and skill with the craft.

If one does not think or see OUTSIDE of the box, they will remain square.

So what exactly is stained glass? How about this thing they call leaded glass?

You might wonder: what’s in a name?

As you’ll hear these terms get mentioned, let’s clarify what they really mean.

Originally, when stained glass first evolved, artisans would draw onto or would otherwise color glass pieces using various pigments. These pieces would then get fired up and the design would melt onto it. Essentially, this glass became “stained” and so the term STAINED GLASS came into being.

These individual pieces would then get assembled together to form a composition. Each would become surrounded by a flexible grooved rod made of lead known as CAME or LEAD CAME. LEAD is a very heavy, dense greyish metal that is flexible and so bends easily. The finished composition is then one that is held together by this frame. This frame is known as a PANEL. A single panel or several panels would then comprise a window or a series of windows.

Because of the use of lead, this technique and product also came to be known as LEADED GLASS.

This basic, traditional assembling procedure is still used today, as it is one of superior quality and incredible durability and longevity.

Nowadays, the glass is manufactured commercially by specialist companies and comes in all sorts of colors, patterns, styles and textures, usually in individual sheets of various sizes. Many are even clear and without color. This readily available specialty glass is known today as ART GLASS.

Commercially manufactured art glass is what is used today to create compositions in leaded glass. And despite the fact that the art glass used can be devoid of color, the traditional term “stained glass” has been retained and is, today, interchangeable with “leaded glass”.

In this regard, “stained glass” is a bit of a misnomer.

Again, they both pretty much mean the same thing: a composition comprised of individual glass pieces (of whatever shapes, colors, styles or textures) encased and held together by individual pieces of lead.

Colored glass has origins that date back to ancient Egypt and continued throughout the Middle East. This medium rose to prominence primarily in the Middle Ages in Europe, where these works served to represent pictorially biblical narratives. It is assumed that this was done as a means of communicating this scripture to a largely illiterate population at the time.

In addition to disseminating scripture, the bright colors illuminated by natural sunlight glowed prominently, especially at lofty heights, and created a very powerful effect upon these places of worship, enhancing their sanctity through aesthetics.

In an almost poetic sense, stained glass helped to shed light upon these dark ages.

The effect it produced on worship was so significant and powerful that this tradition continued to endure throughout Europe past medieval times, becoming incorporated into Romanesque, Gothic and Classical architecture.

Thus, stained glass became synonymous with churches and cathedrals.

But in the nineteenth century, certain artists like Luis Comfort Tiffany and Marc Chagall started to use stained glass in a much more contemporary fashion. This gave rise to a revival and new dawn for this medium.

“Working with stained glass is so incredibly rewarding. I find it a very flexible medium to work with. It works with lighting favorably. It can be vivid or subdued. It can create privacy or give space. There is practically no limit as to what can be done with it.

“It brings me much satisfaction and joy to know that I am helping create environments that are lasting, possibly for centuries.

“I firmly believe that stained glass can transform consciousness, even life. It creates a sense of wonder in others and uplifts them.

“In a holy place, the effect is spiritual. It helps create a sense of sanctity, and that is so important for a parishioner to find comfort and reverence in their place of worship.

“In a residence, it gives one a fantastic, almost extraordinary feeling. When one enters their home and sees the stained glass, it brings them into a great mood. In addition to beauty, it gives a constant source of happiness and joy, right where one lives.

“Stained glass is therapeutic. It relaxes one and I firmly believe that it can possibly even make one live longer. That it helps others and creates such lasting positive effects on people is probably the most rewarding aspect of what I do. It’s a pleasure to be able to contribute in such an aesthetic manner. I absolutely love it.”

“No project is too complex, contemporary, traditional or progressive. In fact, for me, personally, the more challenging, the better!

“All custom work carries in this manner.

“When there is a project that dares me to be innovative in terms of conceptualization and design, as well as the actual assembly and installation, I totally dig it.

“It’s exciting to work with.

“But this does not mean that every project has to be grand. Even a small one can be challenging. The focus is to be original and give the client a real work of art that they cherish, despite its size or scope.

“My studio would like to bring this industry to a new plateau. We are always looking forward to indulging in all manner of creations and to brighten the lives of everyone who commissions any work from us, and to elevate more environments with this form of art.”

– Simon Simonian

Emanuel Simonian grew up in Southern California, displaying a talent for the arts since age 3. A visual fine artist, his works have been complimented by the likes of Hooshang Seyhoun, Laurie Lipton and Sam Shearon (Mister-Sam) and have been featured as a finalist in a global collage competition by Saatchi Gallery as well as in La Cienega Design Quarter’s internationally acclaimed “Legends” event.

His drawings, paintings and collages have been described as highly original, unique and captivating.

Contrary to popular belief, Emanuel does not work in the medium of stained/leaded glass or kiln-fired glass, but has a preference for ink, marker, colored pencil, acrylic paints, pastels and various other media.

However, he does indeed embrace the passion for this timeless medium and shares the vision to be a vanguard for its progressive renaissance. Therefore, along with Simon Simonian, he decided to realize this with the vehicle of Progressive Art Stained Glass Studio, which they started originally under the umbrella of Emanuel’s then art gallery, The Oculus Gallery.

From age 2, Simon Simonian discovered his purpose in the arts and pursued it as his lifelong career, all the way through higher education.

Simonian’s aesthetic calling has always been to create functional art, including the breadth of that which is structural and environmental. Thus, he pursued architecture. However, he also pursued fine art.

As an architect, Simonian’s career spans many residential, commercial and public projects to working for Walt Disney® Imagineering. This expertise also expanded in time to development and construction, with Simonian having a contractor’s license. He possesses much experience and professional knowledge in designing and building.

As a fine artist, his works have been featured in various English language and international publications and other media, including television. Simonian has worked in oils, acrylics, pastels, charcoal, graphite and other mixed media to create paintings, drawings, relief sculptures and other works of fine art.

Having these dual callings, Simonian eventually discovered his passion for a very special medium, stained/leaded glass or art glass, where he could truly integrate his knowledge in both fields to create exclusive creations in this very special form of functional art, becoming particularly renowned for his marvelous skylight domes.

Known especially for such creations, Simonian is one of the very few handful in the world who are capable of designing and creating such works, including oval-shaped domes, which are considered rare architectural marvels.

His unique qualifications have also made him renowned for accomplishing sensitive and seemingly impossible historical renovations.

Simonian resides and operates in Southern California.

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.