Gary James

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Gary has been designing, building, and repairing stained glass for more than 20 years. His Catspaw Studio focuses primarily on commission work for residences and churches. He began this career as a hobby but soon realized that he had the vision and technical skill to turn this into a life long pursuit. For a number of years Gary specialized in the repair and restoration of "Victorian" stained glass windows dating from the turn of the century. Along the way he learned many "tricks" of those master designers enabling him to create unique one of a kind works of art not often seen in the designs of contemporary artists, including the highly specialized and labor intensive skill of hand beveling and brilliant work. According the Gary, "In order to further my creativity, in 1992, I began teaching myself glass staining and enameling techniques. Very few master craftsmen are left to teach this and many are unwilling to pass on their expertise, so this took me approximately one year in the process of trial and error. Now, however, I can offer portraiture on a par with Tiffany's painted windows." "My emphasis is always on creating a truly unique and visually stimulating design. Of equal importance is the craftsmanship and engineering of each window such that it is built to "withstand the test of time." I work with the customer's vision to achieve their desire for a stunning showpiece we can both be proud of." "Some of my more important works: Over forty windows designed for the Rebhan residence in Warren, Ohio; The 'Seven Days of Creation' window for The Imaculate Heart of Mary Church, Austintown, Ohio, (this was a series of windows which ran a length of over 100 feet); eighteen windows of various saints all hand painted and fired for The Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, Campbell, Ohio; Seven windows designed for the Dickson residence in Grandville, Ohio one of which was featured in Columbus Monthly Magazine, July 1997; A hand painted enameled and fired Eagle window utilizing hand blown glass for the Cooper residence in New Albany, Ohio; and a scene of the Hill Country of Texas for the Key residence, San Antonio, Texas," featured in Gary's Stained Glass Landscape.

Stained Glass Landscape (stained glass) Viewers check in periodically as Gary designs and constructs a commissioned 4'x4' landscape destined for a home in Texas. Gary discusses the challenges of the commission process as well as demonstrating cutting, shaping, foiling, painting, and leading techniques.

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