Glassando's interview with stained glass artist James Thomas

Glassando owner Abby Restko shares her interview with stained glass artist James Thomas, whose work is on display now in the store through July 9.  Abby comments, "for formal art shows, artists are often asked to write an artist statement. While this highly edited formal statement can be informational, many times some of the original answers that helped develop the statement can  be more insightful." Visit Glassando's website or Facebook page for more information about this store, which is located in the Old Capitol Town Center.

And now, meet James Thomas: What first got me interested in stained glass? 
I enjoy  experimenting with the effects that stained glass has on the beauty of light.  This interest was probably sparked through researching the chemistry of plant pigments in graduate school. Many of the extracts I worked with in science were quite rich in color and interacted with light in interesting ways.  I enjoy the virtually limitless availability of stained glass colors, appreciate how opalescence affects the transmission and reflection of light and how different textures bend, concentrate and obscure light.  The essence of the artwork I aspire to create captures a dynamic interaction between light and glass. My stained glass often exhibit subtle and sometimes striking changes in brilliance and color depending on the intensity of light and angle of the sun over the course of a day or throughout the year. 

How long have you been working in stained glass?
Many of the techniques I currently use evolved from a formal class I had in 1997, are learned by reading literature and improvised through the process of doing stained glass.

What influences the subject matter of your pieces?

• I generally make geometric designs, landscapes, plants and animals
• Strength is taken into consideration in design process, reinforcement is used when needed.
• Piece shapes are designed according to what can be successfully scored and broken from glass sheets
• Curved pieces and irregular polygons may require multiple scores and breaks to yield a final shape.
• Most of my pieces are composed of irregular shaped polygons.
• My larger pieces tend to have areas of rather tiny pieces to show detail.

Beside Glassando, where has your work been displayed?
In the last year I have been accepted into the following juried shows:
1)    University of Iowa Fine Arts Council Thieves Market, Nov 2009
2)    HeartFest - at the Valley West Mall in Des Moines, Feb 2010
3)    University of Iowa Fine Arts Council  - Riverbank Art Festival, April 2010
4)    The Beaux Art Festival- Figge Museum Plaza – Davenport Iowa, May 2010
5)    Snake Alley Art Festival – Burlington, IA, June 20, 2010
6)    Before 2009, I made a commissions and for private individuals and for a non-profit group.