Why is Stained Glass under threat?

[@saragates2255]

Love your advocacy for stained glass art and all of the info you provided. I've never studied it personally but I've many fond personal memories of public places that were very special to me that featured stained glass art Also, my mother was an art educator for many years and art advocacy was common discussion around our dinner table growing up. What an incredible way to use your platform. Your passion is infectious! Ty for creating interest in a legendary party of our heritage👍

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hi Sara, thank you, that’s such a supporting message to receive from you. I’m so pleased you found the video inspiring. Let’s hope more people like you see stained glass in a new light ! 🙏🙂

[@carlosvelasco8096]

I'm a 4th generation stained glass artist and started teaching people interested in learning in classes offered at the American Arts and Crafts in St.Petersburg Florida. I noticed a great interest in the art and some students found a skill that they didn't know that they have. The classes are growing day after day and now I'm having glass fused classes that eventually these pieces could be incorporated into stained glass panels.

[@carlosvelasco8096]

American Arts and Crafts Museum of St.Petersburg Florida.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Awesome news! Very glad you are able to pass on your skills to the next generation 👏👏👏👏

[@Dan-ji4db]

I started making stained glass 3 years ago and wish I'd found it sooner. I had a booth at a recent market and the joy it brought to peoples faces as they saw the backlit pieces was great.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hi Dan, glad you are enjoying your creative journey in glass !🙏🙂

[@detlefgotzens5014]

I agree with you 100% at my age now I still practice my stained glass skills and roots for Gallery pieces. I was born and raised in Cologne and learned my craft in one of the oldest stained-glass studios in the City, graduated as a journeyman and later went to the Rheinbach Glass College and did my Master's in 1977. I always believed that as a contemporary art form, it also had its place in the galleries and I just keep pushing that now. I also want to congratulate you on your wonderful videos and wish you continued success.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

That’s very kind of you and thank you for your support, it’s much appreciated. I’d glad to hear you are still making stained glass for galleries, am I able to see your work online?

[@detlefgotzens5014]

@@DerekHuntArtist I could send you some images via email of public installation that I did here in Quebec if you like?

[@DerekHuntArtist]

@@detlefgotzens5014 sure thing!

[@brandonleimgruber6850]

Thank you so much for this! I have been a full-time professional in this industry for 25 years now, and I can agree with everything you stated. It's truly sad that it has come to this, but I hope that something can be done to fix it. I'd be happy to teach and pass on my knowledge, but I'm not sure where to start. The cost is getting so ridiculous that it makes it near impossible for anyone to dabble long enough to fall in love with it. Anyway, thank you again for everything you're doing for the art and for all of us. Best wishes

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hey Brandon, that's made my day! Thank you so much for your support, it means so much to me, especially as you are also working on the front line too! Keep your chin up, there's lots of good people in this field, so I'm still optimistic things will work out .

[@felisarequena]

Hola!!!! hace un año empece a interesarme por el arte del vidrio y he dado un curso de tecnica de tecnica Tiffany y otro de pintura sobre vidrio, tengo 50 y espero seguir aprendiendo y practicando, gracias por transmitir tus conocimientos sobre este arte tan importante, me resultan de gran utilidad un saludo

[@DerekHuntArtist]

You are very welcome Felisa! 🙏🙏

[@shannonmabry1302]

I would welcome training on how to mount a stained glass “window” in front of actual windows as I believe part of the issue is that we move so often, home owners don’t want to invest in installed windows. I really like the look of the cable wire with the chrome stops and imagine there are many other creative ways of doing so.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Good suggestions, thank you!

[@Mateo-et3wl]

I second it

[@Evangeline338]

I started with stained glass during lock down. Self taught but would have loved to study and learn. Looked everywhere for a stained glass course, couldn't find anything. People won't keep it going if there is no way to learn. It's such a shame. Love your videos.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Glad you found the video useful. You might be interested in my online courses. Details here www.DerekHuntArtist.com

[@lindaaudet8659]

Excellent info discussing many of my concerns. Thank you Derek.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

You’re very welcome !🙏🙂

[@gul7573]

I've been learning stained glass for two years now and this is the only thing makes me excited really. I see this not a school- learning subject but the experiences need to pass on the students from the experienced craftsmen. And I couldn't find many places to learn painting glass, hopefully I'll join one of your short courses when I come to the UK 😊thanks Derek

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Great stuff! Hope to see you on a course sometime 🙂

[@carlbrenninkmeijer8925]

Your videos inspire. The fact that I can buy glass on line helped me to continue. I sometimes visit glass shops in Oberhausen and St. Oedenrode for seeing the glass pieces myself, buying some and just chatting a bit.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Thank you Carl 🙏🙂

[@realfuturist9263]

I have just recently decided to dive head first in to the art and craft of stained glass. Count me as one of those who will push the art to the next generation.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

That’s great news! Thanks for the support too!🙏🙂

[@lindabanks2650]

Actually AEG stopped production of stained glass when they had to move premises. Before they moved they made a large supply of glass to keep the industry going. They say that they have the skills to restart production in future if demand is there. So there is still a good stock of AEG glass available to buy in the UK. As a glass artist for over 30 years, I have never made a church window but I have made plenty of windows for domestic settings. We have to move with the times and I make real stained glass windows that can be encapsulated in sealed units if clients desire that option. There is also strong demand for repairs to domestic windows and doors that have sustained damage or need refurbishment. Light boxes are definitely a good way of helping to display stained glass to its best advantage in galleries and at shows - as well as introducing beautiful, contemporary stained glass to the wider population. Thank you for highlighting the issues and some possible solutions.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hi Linda, Thanks for your feedback and your thoughts. Completely agree we have to move with the times, I just hope we don’t forget to invest in the next generation of glass artists as we move with the times…

[@petitmignonstudio]

Amazing video! Thanks for defending the craft! I personally learned the craft several years ago in Portugal and was even on an internship for a month in Sienna (Italy) more than 10 years ago. Unfortunately even then there was a lot of talk about all these issues and especially how difficult it was to get jobs for the craft. There was also talk of difficulties in the industry and prohibitions to use certain chemicals, which led to the disappearance of some glass colours. Since then it has been a steady decline. I would have liked to continue with the art but I never had the infrastructure (space and money) and everything seemed too much for someone who was just starting out. So I turned to miniature glass painting and making jewellery. It's a long way from stained glass, I know... It seems to me that the continuity of the craft is very much up to the current artists not only to show their work and create hype but also to open their workshops and give young people the opportunity to learn. Once again, thanks for your precious contribution!

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hi Patricia , thank you so much for your supportive comments, really appreciate that. Interesting to hear about the concerns expressed 10 years ago about the craft in Italy and Portugal too.

[@donnaschimek]

For me it’s the increased cost of all supplies associated with making stained glass. I use as many short cuts and things I have on hand but that is not always easy and decreases the stability of a project. Yes demand is down as the costs associated increases, pricing increases. Almost everyone is feeling the restraints of spending. Small and cute designs seem to sell at markets but true artisanal pieces stay for sale longer.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

I hear ya ! Cost of materials has gone through the roof in the past few years, and it is a challenge to find some specialist things now, like specific coloured glass etc.

[@donnaschimek]

@@DerekHuntArtist yes! So expensive! Artic and Florentine my favorite I can’t find so readily and when I do so expensive.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

@@donnaschimek we just have to be even MORE creative with our materials!! 🙂

[@ikust007]

Always excellent videos . Merci !

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Glad you like them!

[@MrZOMBIE170]

when I went to the city of Glasgow college taught Stained Glass or glass work on the top floor and that was 3 years ago

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Yes, I remember that course. 🙏🙂

[@angeladibble]

Thank you so much Deric

[@DerekHuntArtist]

You are very welcome

[@ikust007]

Isn’t an issue in your country (or France ) the qt of studios versus the qt of work(restoration and creation )??

[@maggiebannenberkowitz9254]

Madison, Wisconsin had a glass shop that taught Stained glass and fusing and blowing. But they shut down about 2 years ago. Said for all glass makers in Wisconsin!

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Sorry to hear that - I would be interested to learn more about the stained glass market in American

[@emachine310]

Neonlights going away is also a craft that died out. LED lighting features just dont have the same appeal as an authentic neonlight. When I started looking into Stained glass, i also looked into Neonlighting. the things i would do if i had the space and money

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Yes I loved neon lights too! In fact when I was an art student I commissioned some neon light work for my degree show. Loved watching the guy make the thing in his workshop 🙂

[@GommStainedGlass]

When Spectrum Glass went out of business in the US we lost the best source of least expensive glass and that changed the landscape of glass availability and pricing. We now really do face double to triple the past prices of glass. We have noticed that there are more municipal projects that do seem to support the lack of church projects.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Thanks for your feedback, much appreciated.

[@maggiebannenberkowitz9254]

Fused glass is up in artist,,is there a way to combine the two?

[@DerekHuntArtist]

There are ways to combine fusing and painting.

[@bernaclischurchill4463]

In the US, I don't think they paint the glass-this is the first time, I have heard someone say, that they "paint' the glass. This is interesting. Stain glass is not offered in art school that I know of in the US. It is taught by apprenticing with an artist only. Ms. B. Churchill

[@DerekHuntArtist]

There are some stained glass studios in the US doing painted glass work, although it is more usual to see copper foil or leaded glass work being made. 🙂

[@jeffreycruse9189]

We do painting in Boston Lyn Hovey stained glass studio

[@solidustiger9639]

I learned staindglass making back in 2002 enjoyed it but didn't go any further dude to work and lack of space

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hope you get the chance to make stained glass when the time it right!

[@ikust007]

3:57 so true

[@rubyduma6238]

I’ve heard that European stained glass people are going out of business. Some people think that lead is radioactive and think that it’s bad to have in their houses.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Lead is not radioactive but it is toxic so care has to be taken when working with it. Traditional stained glass making is now on the endangered list of crafts here in the UK.

[@Mateo-et3wl]

Hard to sustain art when there's virtually nothing left of the underlying culture

[@DerekHuntArtist]

I’m of the view that “Culture “ is always evolving and being added to, it’s not something frozen in time 🙂

[@grampsinsl5232]

Long comment follows, fair warning! Decline in demand seems to me to be the driving force here. If demand for stained glass was outstripping supply, then prices and wages for those who create it would be driven up, which would attract fresh blood into the field just as it does in other areas. I wish that were true, but in my experience it's not. A friend owns one of the last remaining stained glass shops in our large metropolitan area, and she was forced to convert the upstairs working room into a B&B and most of the downstairs into a tea/wine room just to generate enough cash flow to stay in business. Her weekly stained glass classes are well-attended, but the students are all hobbyists, creating art for themselves and their friends and families. None, as far as I've been able to tell from chatting with them over the years, are thinking about trying to turn it into any kind of business, which gets back to the lack of large-scale demand. In the past 7 years, the owner has needed my glass-painting skills exactly twice, for very small repair jobs, and I'm the only glass painter she knows. It seems to be inherent in the nature of stained glass that it goes in and out of fashion, which is why it's nearly omnipresent in our oldest neighborhoods here but very rare in any new construction. The pendulum should swing back one day, and then hopefully the outlook will be much more cheerful.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Great response Gramps. You’re completely right, stained glass, like so many other things, goes in and out of fashion. Problem is, all the specialist supply chain is being lost and that will take a very long time to build up again. Skills will be lost, materials will not be available, glass blowers will forget how to blow antique flat sheets of glass with all the subtlety and variations we currently have. Glass paints and stains, specialist lead cames, and all the rest of the paraphernalia used for stained glass will dwindle away. I’m going to push against that where I can, and the best way I know is to inspire the next generation to use glass in new and exciting ways! Let’s see what happens, I’m an optimist at heart but also a pragmatist 🙂

[@ekrik1925]

Uh oh… I just started a new job making stained glass…

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Awesome! It’s great you have started a new job making stained glass!

[@MazHem]

I think that more people would buy stained glass if people could afford it also

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Yes, I’m sure that’s right

[@annanardo2358]

Could it be the cost of stained glass ? Glass is so expensive. This art should be taught in schools, instead schools and colleges focus on sports. Sports is irrelevant. Stained glass on the other hand is a most beautiful art. Schools need to teach better curriculums instead of sports.😕

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hi Anna, you’re right, materials are now more expensive which makes it harder if you are just starting out. The main problem is government investment in arts in general has been cut back so much in the last few years. As a result, young people just don’t get the chance to learn these craft skills anymore.

[@Noumenon4Idolatry]

I was going to go to prom with the captain of the football team but I decided to go with the stained glass kid. 😄

[@DerekHuntArtist]

@@Noumenon4Idolatrylol 🤣

[@muadek]

To the contrary, I'd much rather see a revival in church-going and church art, so that all the newly built churches have a decent set of stained glass windows.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

It would be nice to have lots of vibrant, healthy churches full of exciting and interesting art, for sure.

[@muadek]

@@DerekHuntArtist I'm daydreaming, I know...:(

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Never say never :-)

[@MemeMan_MEMESQUAD]

Agree. I live in a rural protestant town so our cathedrals are just lime green barns. The ones that do have stained glass seem mass produced

[@DerekHuntArtist]

@@MemeMan_MEMESQUAD 🙏🙂

[@astridanayalation4512]

Idk it seems pretty saturated here in America but this is wonderful!

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Hi Astrid, I believe the market is slightly different in the US - there are fewer studios doing painted stained glass but many more doing copper foil work and leaded glass work. The hobby market is also much larger in the US than UK, so you have great supply chain and glass availability for opals and fused glass materials. 🙂

[@astridanayalation4512]

Hey thanks for replying back! I definitely want to learn to paint more on glass. I mistakenly …. Don’t want to say wasted two years cause I learned stuff. But I feel like I mistakenly wasted two year trying to get an illustration degree thinking. It would teach me about painting and drawing more. Boy was I wrong, I feel a little discouraged, cause it feels i have to start all over. But I have a big vision on what I want to paint just don’t know exactly how. 🤘🏾 cheers

[@DerekHuntArtist]

@@astridanayalation4512 you’re welcome! Good luck on your glass painting journey 🙂

[@ikust007]

Extremely scared of this generation… don’t think they care at all or will have the financials to care about sg.

[@edgarbeat2851]

Cost is the main thing. A pound of ruby enamel 6 years ago cost me 740 pounds. The current cost is almost 1500 pounds. I wanted to do stain glass aged four I'm 39 now. Finding people to teach was hard. I was taught by Brian James Waugh in Glasgow after randomly find courses on the glass supplies website. I support my local glass maker. They make me small crown glass I pay extra but I'm supporting local. I do modern contemporary stain glass my avatar is an example. I do aviation and automotive subjects. To people stain glass is not cheep if you want to work to a high level. I live with parents to be able to do my glass I'll give you a follow on Instagram. I subscribed to your channel.

[@DerekHuntArtist]

Thanks so much for your comments and you support of my channel, it's very much appreciated. I agree that costs have gone through the roof in recent years, not helped by all the events that have taken place on the world stage which have affected supply of raw materials, energy etc. Lack of training opportunities is still one of the biggest hurdles to participating in stained glass as well.