Piece Gallery

I bit the bullet and purchased all the supplies I needed to start making stained glass. It was quite an initial investment. Would I even like making art?

I started with something very simple. I sketched out three triangles on my iPad and printed it off on vinyl. I didn't know much about design creation and it shows. My triangles were not even the same size and the lines were not perfectly straight. I found it quite fun to score and cut the glass. It all seemed well, until I tried to place the pieces together. And none of them were the same size or correct shape.

I broke out my glass grinder for the first time and used a black sharpie to draw better lines and shapes. I learned really quick how messy the grinder is!

The final step was soldering. I have never soldered anything before. What a learning curve that was. Lots of videos on YouTube and Instagram gave me the basics.

It turned out okay. Definitely a beginner piece. I was so proud of it. I had actually created something. Did it have a TON of flaws? Yes. Did I learn a ton from it? Yes.

Beach Sunset

October 4th, 2025

I love going to the coast. And one year I took a picture of the sunset over the ocean that quickly became one of my favorite photos. I quickly decided to turn it into a glass project.

It was a very basic piece, and there are a lot of errors that I learned a lot from. It really was a foundation piece that I learned what works with cutting, grinding, and soldering.

It still sits in my display cabinet. I consider it my first original design, since the Triforce is a well-known icon from a famous game. It is a rough piece, but I am still proud of what it taught me.

Mushrooms

October 4th, 2025

Along with the sunset, I really wanted to make some stained glass mushrooms. I had seen them in a video I had seen on Instagram. I cannot say its an original design, as they are very similar to some that I had seen, although I did create the pattern on my iPad.

I loved the choices of glass colors that I picked for these. They were really fun to make.

Mini-Beach Sunset

October 9th, 2025

I made this as a smaller version of my original sunset. I changed the pattern a bit, making some of the layers wider and removing other ones that I didn't think fit well. I made this as a special request for a family member. It was fun and I thought it turned out really well. I felt like my skills were improving and I was learning to improve my designs as well.

Orange Cat

October 10th, 2025

I really wanted to make this as a gift for a family member who loves cats. I had seen a design similar to this on google images, and decided to draw up a pattern of my own. I won't claim it is original, but my pattern is my own creation.

It was a fun piece to make and I love how it turned out. I was so excited to give it as a gift, and it sat in bubble wrap for two months waiting for that opportunity.

I have since rebuilt my pattern that I have created, making even more significant changes and altering it.

Sunrise at the Temple

October 26th, 2025 -- My first large piece.

This was a completely custom, original design. I set out to create this as a gift for my mom for Christmas. Even before I started making stained glass, I wanted to make something like this for my mom, and was inspired by some of the neat artistry creations that my older sister always makes.

I drew and redesigned it at least 4 times on my iPad before I got a design that I liked and would not include impossible cuts. (You cannot cut a interior 90 degree angle into glass). I learned the pattern design is critical to making the art beautiful AND able to be created.

This piece took a lot of planning, and careful selection of the glass. I decided on a sunrise color sky glass, with wavy lines to create a good texture. The clouds were white and clear mix, and honestly included to make the design work.

It probably took me close to 100 hours between the design, redesign, cutting, re-cutting, and building of the piece. I was so pleased at how this turned out. When I completed it, I was honestly suprised that I could actually make something like this. I knew from that point that I can push myself and really not hesitate to try things.

Familiar Shadow

November 7th, 2025

This is a cat similar to a different one I made earlier for a Christmas present. I was asked to make this particular one for someone who lost their longtime favorite cat. I hoped it would give them something to remember their lost friend.

Chromatic Reaction

November 17th, 2025

This was an original design by me. I found some old clip art images and seamed them together, then traced out the lines I wanted to use for my glass. The color ideas were simple, something that stood out. The original one of this I used copper backed copper foil and you could see the foil through the clear glass. Unfortunately and luckily, I accidently dropped the pieces when I was showing it and I had to rebuild it. It gave me a chance to fix several problems I spotted with the first one. The biggest was the change to black backed copper foil. Now the clear glass doesn’t show the copper color underneath the solder lines. Original design for my daughter who is an amazing chemist!

Guided Home

November 14th, 2025

Original custom design. I was so proud of this piece. I loved the coast and lighthouses, and this simple project turned out to have both of my favorites. I wanted to create a mood in a way, so that the boat is lost in the dark and the light is helping it find its way back.

I love when a piece comes together so nicely. I wonder why I waited so long to try out stained glass making. I really like the light keepers house on the side.

My wife called dibs on this work as soon as it started to come together. She loves to display nautical and beach things and this fits nicely along with her other pieces.

Christmas Pine

November 16th & 28th, 2025

This was my first attempt at a 3D type glass art. (My real significant first was my hummingbird). This was mostly made as a use for my scrap glass. I loved how it turned out and I plan on making a larger version someday, maybe as part of a larger 3 dimensional piece.

I learned really quickly that solder does not work the same was as glue when putting things like this together! After creating this I decide that I really need to buy a small clamp to hold the glass flat while I am working on it.

I love the glass type. The ripple glass is very challenging to cut, but definitely looks like tree branches.

Mid-Spawn Crisis

November 28th, 2025

This is a piece for me. It’s symbolic of my relationship with glass at this point, now that I have developed a new hobby/interest in the middle of my life. Idea came to me at 3:00 in the morning when I couldn’t sleep before a long driving trip. A delirious message I scrawled onto my phone describing an alien having his mid-life crisis, driving a pink convertible wearing a cowboy hat. Just doing what he wants and trying to feel confident doing so. (But really completely lost)

This one was a learning challenge as well. I was learning how to cut vinyl in a different way and ended up with large gaps in the glass that wasn't anticipated. It took extra solder to fill it in, but turned out okay. Lots of mistakes and lots of learning with this one. (I love his little alien head.)

Monarch

November 30th, 2025

Just like the Pirate Ship, pictures don’t do this justice. This is an all original piece, custom design. It was a fun work to create. I loved the ripples in the orange glass. It gives it amazing texture. Some super tough cuts in this. The glass grinder was a life saver. It helped to shape some of the harder cuts and smooth out some seriosly rough edges.

Christmas Stars

December 6th, 2025

I think one like this has been done by just about everyone, but I thought I would try it as well. It actually is pretty tough getting the triangles at the right angles to make a truly equal piece. Very abstract, and was supposed to be a snowflake, but I think it is more of a star or a symbol for a car company......

Moulton Barn and the Tetons

December 14th, 2025

Custom Design by BD Glass Designs. 13.5 inches X 9.5 inches.

I made this for my wife’s parents for their 50th wedding anniversary. My father in law is a descendent of the family that once owned this barn which now is part of Mormon Row in Teton National Park. This is considered one of the most photographed barns in the world. It was a fun and challenging build, with countless hours put into the pattern itself. I found it tricky to get the pattern looking correct while still making the glass cuts possible. I think it turned out really beautiful.

Twin Falls Temple

December 30th, 2025

This was a commission piece by my sister for her daughter. I based the design entirely on photos that I had seen that my sister had sent me, and later on, when I finally had the chance to see this beautiful building in person, I was pleased to see the design matched reality better than I imagined. I was careful to use copper re-strip and lead came on the borders, as there are some serious hinge joints in the steeple. After reinforcement, it is more sturdy than I expected and it looks amazing hanging in a window.

Pirate Moon

January 2nd, 2026

This was custom original design, 13.25 x 13 inch round stained glass panel. My first design was for a wooden ship cutting through the waters under a stormy skies and lightning, however, after breaking the glass from it being so thin, I changed the design and this was what was born.

This piece was extremely tricky to keep together. The cut glass pattern had some gaps that just didn't work. After I had ground and foiled all the pieces, there were some big enough gaps to see light through. In the end, I found the remedy to be the change in the glass between the ports on the side of the ship. Just before I soldered the piece, I had it all layed out and tacked into place. I went back and recut the piece between the ports and extended it by about .5 cm. This elimated a second seam and solder joint between each window port and helped the pieces to fit together more closely.

I really did enjoy the challenge of making this piece. And I think it turned out really well.

Hummingbird 3D

January 14th, 2026 -- Experimental original design.

I had no idea if it would work. At 11.5 inches long, body depth of 3.25 inches, and an impressive wingspan of 15.5 inches wide. It was mostly an experiment to see if I could do it. And I love how it turned out.

A lot of the challenge was designing and building it in a way that will support the weight of the tail and wings. The copper foil and solder alone are not strong enough to support that weight. So to fix the problem, I soldered the tail first and included a tinned copper wire between the tail glass that extends 3 inches beyond the glass itself. Then I built and soldered the left wing and included a wire in-between the feathers and wing body that extended for 7 inches out the wing where it attaches to the body. The rest of the bird was soldered around those wires, in a way that attaches the wings togeher through the body, and the tail direcly inbetween the body pieces. I was pleased it held together and was stronger than I anticipated.

This turned out so much better than I anticipated. I was expected to have a little experiment, and if it failed, add it to the pile of glass scrap. But I learned that I can do 3D art. And with a little problem solving, it can turn out beyond what I expect.

Desert Saloon 3D

See this in the shop at: bdglassdesigns.etsy.com

I got the idea for this from a friend who likes western art. I had an image in my head of a rustic old desert saloon with red-rock mesas and a lone saguaro cactus. Instead of doing it as a panel or a suncatcher, I decided to build on my Hummingbird 3D idea, and turn it into a diorama.

The design process was quite tricky. Instead of one design template, I had to create 6 seperate templates. One for each mesa, cactus, and saloon. Then one for the base, and finally one for the overall layout and support system.

When I was building this, it ended up becoming five individually built stained glass sections at first. Then the sections were permanently joined together in a final soldering step. Since I used a multi-section construction, it helped me to focus on structural strength. Each piece has several support trusses added to it, and the saloon has an added glass beam to stop any damage from a hinge joint.

I loved the colors for the glass. The mesa colors ended up being exactly what I was hoping for when it is in directly light. The saloon has two colors of brown, with one duplicating the look of "old barn wood". The saloon windows are a streaky black and clear glass, which allows you to see through them, but gives them the appearance of being old or dirty.

In the end, this became quite a substantial piece and very one of a kind. There is over 97 hand-cut pieces of glass, with each piece individually foiled and soldered. It is free-standing, no stand or easel is required . It will sit securely on a shelf or table and small rubber feet are attached to the underside to help protect surfaces.

This was truly a fun yet challenging build. I love the original design. I don't see a lot out there that is similar. It would make a great addition to anyone who likes to collect western or desert art.

Approximate Dimensions:

• Base width × depth: 14” × 9” • Tallest height (saloon): 9” • Cactus: 5.25” × 7”

• Mesa #1: 5.5” × 7.5” • Mesa #2: 5.5” × 7” • Saloon building: 9.5” × 9”

Red Rose with Kauri Wood Bowl and Chipped Glass Heart

This was a quick and fun project. I made this for my wife for Valentines Day. The red glass was the absolute worst to work with. It was slightly thicker, with a wavy texture, and more expensive the most of the glass I have used. That red glass fought me, and probably got more red from the cuts it gave me along the way! I ordered some brass rods to use as the stem and figured out how to tin and patina them. In the base, I chipped a lot of extra green shards that I had laying around from other projects.

I do love how it turned out. It was a hit, and it made excellent use of an Kauri Wood dish I had made 29 year earlier, when I was in New Zealand. The Kauri Wood was leftover scrap from a designer shop, and a local with wood working equipment allowed me to experiment and make it for fun. I have had it sitting around in storage ever since, and it has become a great base.

The smaller heart piece, with chipped glass was actually something my wife requested for Valentines, so I was a bit busy for this holiday. She originally requsted something like a heart mosiac, but I am not very experienced with those, so I made my own twist on it.

The heart is cut and soldered into the larger piece of clear/white streaky glass. Then I chipped a variety of scrap glass shard colors and weld bonded them to the heart. I made sure it was several layers deep. Once the weld bond dried, I scraped the excess glass away that hadn't stuck. (reminder to self -- use glass gloves next time. Ouch).

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