The term stained glass refers either to the material of colored glass or to the art and craft of working with it.

As a material the term generally refers to glass that has been coloured by adding metallic salts during its manufacture. Painted details and yellow stain are often used to enhance the design. The term is also applied to windows in which all the colours have been painted onto the glass and then annealed in a furnace.

Stained glass, as an art and a craft, requires the artistic skill to conceive the design, and the engineering skills necessary to assemble the decorative piece, traditionally a window, so that it is capable of supporting its own weight and surviving the elements.

Although usually set into windows, the purpose of stained glass is not to allow those within a building to see out or even primarily to admit light but rather to control it. For this reason stained glass windows have been described as ‘illuminated wall decorations’.

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Fused Glass is a term used to describe glass that has been fired (heat-processed) in a kiln at a range of high temperatures. I use the process of stacking, or layering thin sheets of glass, often using different colors to create patterns or simple images. The stack is then placed inside a kiln which slowly raises the temperature until the separate pieces begin to bond together. The longer the kiln is held at the maximum temperature the more thoroughly the stack will fuse, eventually softening and rounding the edges of the original shape. Once the desired effect has been achieved at the maximum desired temperature, the kiln temperature is brought down to avoid devitrification. It is then allowed to cool slowly over a specified time, soaking at specified temperature ranges which are essential to the annealing process. This prevents uneven cooling and breakage and produces a strong finished product.

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Upon moving to New York City, I was inspired by the urban scapes surrounding me: the buildings, street signs, cracks in the pavement. These urban details are simple when isolated, yet part of a complex system. I drastically changed my artistic direction in order to create something completely new, reflective of this urban inspiration.

I base my paintings on what others might deem ordinary. When something catches my eye, I focus my attention on it, and then create a two-dimensional, black and white sketch of it. Back in my studio, I look at my sketches and no longer see the thing I originally sketched, but I find new imagery within the negative spaces of the sketch itself. I then proceed to fill those areas with the appropriate colors from a carefully selected color palatte, creating balance or tension as needed. The city feels this way to me: the forms, the colors, simplicity and complexity living together in harmony.

My intention is to extract beauty from the ordinary using simple line and color work, revealing the complexities of my urban experience and the beauty which I see daily.

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Unfashionable Optimism was my second group art show at the Iansiti Art Studio in Costa Mesa, CA on Novemberr 15, 1997.

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Extrasomatic Identity was the name of the second group show I participated in at the Iansiti Art Studio in Costa Mesa, CA. This show took place on August 23, 1997.

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Inside the Orange Curtain III: A Celebration of Orange County Fine Artists was my first group art show at the Costa Mesa Studio Gallery on May 9, 1997.

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In order to releive the stress of running my own design studio, I picked up a few canvases and started experimenting with acrylic paints and pastels. Soon I started showing at the Iansiti Art Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA. After three successful art exhibits I moved to NY and soaked up as much culture as I could before embarking in the fine arts for the second stint, changing my painting style dramatically.

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Popularity: 34% [?]