How Crystal Imagery is Created

I created the art process in 1978 which I refer as Crystal Imagery since the final product has a crystallized affect from the irregular shapes of the stained glass.  The affect is stunning as the glass reflects the light creating a sparkling affect.  Although somewhat limited with the colors of stained glass I have found that by placing them on individually I am able to blend and give the perception of various colors.  Because the slivers or shards are placed one-by-one it produces a wonderful paint brush appearance and allows for detailed control.

The entire process is labor intensive (1-2 weeks for a small image) and requires a pure love for the art as the material must be prepared (bags sewn, glass crushed, image drawn) before the long process of placing each sliver begins.  Although there is a high risk of being cut when the initial stained glass is broken, the final shards or slivers have never posed a threat as I'm able to run my hands over the image or through a bowl of glass shards without injury.
Crystal Imagery 1
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Stained glass is broken down to large pieces and placed in bags.
The bag is inserted into a jean bag for strength and hammered.
The glass is placed in a large strainer.
Smaller shards and sand filters through.
The shards of glass are then run through a smaller strainer to remove the sand.
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An image is placed behind a clear glass sheet.  Using a magnifying glass and toothpicks a tiny area is covered with glue. Tweezers are used to pick up one glass sliver at a time to place onto the glue. A few glass slivers are carefully placed together. A positioning tool aids in packing the glass tightly, then more glue is applied and the process repeated. To comprehend the size of the tiny slivers of glass the above compares it to a penny.

Once the image is completed, the excess glue is removed, and the glass sheet is cleaned with a cleaner taking every precaution not to place any liquid on the stained glass shards.  A paint brush is used to remove any debris from the stained glass slivers.  A well wrung out cloth is used to blot the stained glass and remove any remaining dust.  

A signed Certificate of Authenticity is included with each item.

The procedure is mainly the same when creating art on a mirror or other solid piece, however the image must be transferred onto the piece and is more difficult as the picture cannot be used as a guide.  As a mirror or other objects that requires constant cleaning I place a layer of sealant over the glass.