Church Artist

November 18, 2009

World Religions

What is the essence of religion - harmlessness.

Kiln-fired glass painting by Michael J. Greer for Saints, Sinners, and Symbols.

November 16, 2009

Resurrection Chapel

This window at Christ Episcopal Church in Canon City, Colorado is a 13-foot diameter half-round designed to incorporate the contemporary blue-tone windows along the sides of the Resurrection Chapel.

November 10, 2009

October 28, 2009

Gardening Saints

Saint Fiacre and Saint Dorothy:

Patron Saints of Gardening

Lettered into the border of each window:

The kiss of the sun for pardon,

the song of the birds for mirth,

One is nearer God's heart in a garden

than anywhere else on Earth.

From The Lord God Made a Garden

By Dorothy Gurney 1858 - 1932

October 25, 2009

Custom Glass Medallions

Hand-painted and kiln-fired, these are not stencilled. Images are created to client specifications and the biblical themes required for each church.

Theophany Entry Mosaic

For images of iconography murals we have created at this church, click on the Holy Theophany Orthodox Church link in the left sidebar.

October 15, 2009

October 10, 2009

October 1, 2009

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

Original designs and fabrication of stained glass by Michael Greer. Photos only by Ric Helstrom.

September 10, 2009

August 15, 2009

July 6, 2008

Back with some designs

We've been away working on some church murals at another church, but had a break to moodle some more designs for the clerestory windows at St. Catharine of Siena. Here are variations and ideas:

All are in the $2,000/each range x eight windows, except for the most simple bottom window which is less.

Cost is determined by various factors, including the number of pieces of glass in the window, the particular glass chosen, whether glass-painting is involved, and the materials market in general.

Because glass and metal are selling at all-time highs right now, quotes we send out to clients are only good for three months. The stained glass industry is very labor and energy-intensive, not only because they require huge inputs of energy to manufacture, but also because they are not common commodities, often being imported from overseas. Many art glasses, for example, are manufactured in Europe. High oil costs immediately drive the cost of shipping up, and thus the cost of glass. This is above and beyond the intensive energy useage required to run the glass furnaces and manufacture the glass to begin with. The lead came cost is also being driven by scarcity of metals, so this is another factor to consider.

Below are designs for windows in the choir portion of the church, four total which will each have a different symbol for the four evangelists. This one is for St. Luke. Here are two possibilities, and at bottom left the beginnings of a third:

These larger windows will cost from $3,000 - $4,000.

We don't usually create quite this many options for one church, but in this case, the artist was dissatisfied with several early renderings for the particular location. We will probably send two options for clerestory windows and the two you see for the choir area. The rest will be used in the portfolio or utilized at another time.

There are two we think are just right for this church and for the windows that have already been created and installed. Which ones do you think they are?