How Singing Whale Stained Glass was born…
In 2005, I walked through the door of a local stained glass shop, determined finally to take some classes after seeing them advertised for several years. Not only was a new hobby born, but also steadily a growing passion. That store has since gotten out of glass, so now I am making it at home, and enjoying the creativity that comes from playing with my own patterns, and finding new color combinations in my assortment of glass which is always changing.
In late 2012, I was asked to make a cardinal for a friend’s mom for the holidays. I decided to create the pattern from a photo I had taken of a cardinal at my house. Posted the photo on Facebook, and wound up with a bunch of orders from people for Christmas. That has inspired me to take my glass making to the next level, adding and making more of my own patterns and sharing my work on a wider scale.
I primarily make suncatcher and ornament sized pieces. While I can make boxes, business card holders, and nightlights, I am not presently equipped for lamps or larger panels. My workspace simply is not big enough to do those. If you have a photo you want converted into glass, or a special project in mind, I will be quite happy to talk about what I can do for you. In 2013, I also began to grow a presence at shows and fairs. I look forward to more!
In 2015, I took a class in chainmaille, making myself a nice silver box chain bracelet. I was sucked in. Research into the craft revealed loads of colors, possible pieces, sculptural elements and more. It wasn’t long before I was trying to find ways to create mixed media by combining stained glass and chainmaille. I made the first of those pieces in 2017, and have more things in mind to try. Come back and see what’s new!
Why Singing Whale? I love whales, and I love music. When I was setting up an Etsy shop, I reached out to friends for name suggestions and many thought I should incorporate one or both of these two loves. Whalesong is the natural first choice, but I felt it was already being used pretty widely. Singing Whale came to me as an alternative that would be a little more unique, and so a shop/name was born! If you are curious to see how much I love whales, I invite you to visit my whale watching/enviro/ocean blog site at whalegeek.com. I have been posting photos from many of the concerts I attend (mostly folk shows) at photomonk.com.
Thanks, and enjoy!
