Thirteen members of the Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., community attended the first Stained Glass Class Jan. 26 at the Arts and Crafts Center. The class was geared toward beginners, and the small class size allowed for one-on-one instruction.
“I took a stained glass class as part of an after-school program in middle school, but I don’t have the equipment at home and haven’t found anywhere else that offers it,” said participant Jasmine Johengen. “It was nice to see that programs like this are coming back to Edwards.”
Participants made a 5×7-inch picture frame with the help of Arts and Crafts manager Cheyenne Bower. Bower has been the Arts and Crafts manager since November. Her mother taught her the stained glass technique when she was 8 years old, and she was excited to be able to offer it to the Edwards community as the first of several new classes she and her staff are bringing to the Arts and Crafts Center.
First, each participant selected the two colors of glass they wanted to use and cut them using oil-filled glass cutters. Then they used a grinder to smooth out the edges before wrapping each piece in copper foil. Once each piece was wrapped, they spread glass flux around each side of the frame, starting from the center and working their way out. Finally, they used a soldering iron to heat lead foil over the glass flux. The project was self-paced and took each participant about three hours to complete.
The next Stained Glass Class is scheduled for Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. and will be a bit more challenging than the first class, but still suitable for beginners. Participants will have the choice of making a turtle or a wolf. There is a cost involved, but discounts are available if people bring a friend. Seats are limited to six people. If interested, please call 661-275-ARTS to register.