The glass and lead/copper foil of stained glass windows sets the stage for a story or concept, and the paint and/or stain supply the information that defines and communicates the story.  Stained glass windows fill our world with the beauty of line and color and can be enhanced with the addition of paint or stain, adding further line and shading for form and definition.  View our Glass Painting Gallery for examples or our work such as custom portrait painting and our custom Celtic & Heraldry painting.

Done well, painting can add a new dimension to glass work.  It provides the ability to add lines and lettering, create texture and shading, and add some color in selected areas.

Paints can be classified in several different ways.  Below are the categories of paints used by Turner in his creation of painted pieces.

Traditional Glass Stainers’ Paints
Traditional glass stainer’s paints are generally opaque since they are usually used to control the quantity and character of the light passing through the glass.  This category of paint is usually used for tracing and matting of glass pieces.

Transparent and Opaque Enamels
Enamels are available in a wide variety of colors although the selection is more extensive in opaques than in transparents.  The use of transparent enamels should not be considered as a substitute for pot metal glass, but rather an enhancement were small areas are being used.

Silver Stains
Unlike glass stainers’ paints or transparent enamels, silver stain penetrates the glass and becomes an integral and permanent part of the chemical structure of the glass.  It is the basis of the name ‘Stained Glass’.  Silver stains are used extensively to create beautiful hues of amber.

Glass painting is accomplished by use of the most appropriate paint(s), techniques(s), and effect(s) suitable for the size(s) of glass required.  Includes all materials, kiln use, and painting.