They're both still only on paper, but I have two new windows to make. The first one is for the office window of the minister at my church. He's a great guy and I was really honored when he asked me if I would be interested. What makes it especially exciting for me is that this church is what inspired my interest in stained glass.

The church, like most, is just littered with stained glass windows, some depicting scenes from the bible, some ornate geometrical designs. But two works especially have captivated me my whole life. Both are in the sanctuary. The first one is a multi-glazed scene of a complex sweeping tree over a field of lillies that stretches from the foreground deep into the distance. Glimpses of a cool pond can be seen peeking between the stalks in just a couple of places. This window is rumored to have some historic significance in the stained glass world, but to my knowledge nothing is substantiated.

The other work crowns the sanctuary more than 50 feet straight up. A huge glass dome, protected from the elements with a skylit ceiling, stares down on the parishioners like God's own blue-and-cream eye. The dome is divided into sections, like an orange, with a repeating pattern that mirrors into the next section. On clear, sunny Sundays, the light spills down casting an unmoving kaleidoscope of color down on us. Many service messages have been lost on me as I stared up in awe.

It almost pains me to think about my own pale attempt at glasswork hanging in the same building with these masterpieces. At the same time, I am thrilled beyond all measure.

Of an equal thrill is the second window I have coming. A very dear friend has asked me design and build for him an octagon piece to hang in his master suite. He's giving me free reign on designs, but he did admit he's not sure he wants a lot of color.

We had dinner at his house recently and I took the opportunity to study his choice in art. He seems to favor abstract and geometric designs. Some pieces have an ancient power glyph-like sense rendered in modern materials. I've come up with four designs to carry that theme. The one I am most excited about, and will make whether or not he chooses it, will be made entirely with clear glass. The pattern will manifest from layering the glass and fusing the pieces together before assembling the final nine divisions into the lead came.