Koi Pond with Water Lily

The window measures 2 foot wide by 5 foot high, it is a single window and is comprised of 286 individual pieces of glass.  There are 14 different types of glass used with over 226 feet of black backed copper foil around their edges. I imbedded reinforcing copper in strategic areas to distribute some of the weight to the sides of the window as well as to reduce flexing. For the water I used Spectrum waterglass 4331W and went through about 16 square feet of it to keep the swirls and shadows of the water in line with what the two koi were doing. To ensure the koi fish remained the focal point I began with them, then the water lily followed by its leaves and tendrils. I then worked in the water around to complete the window. This was a great learning window for me. I completed it with a better understanding of the importance or working with the movement of the glass color(s) as well as the use of paste flux.  The pattern is from Paned Expressions Stained Glass Studios’ and was smaller than this window. I contacted them and provided the demission’s I was looking for and they customized the pattern for a small fee which included two full size patterns and a glass recipe sheet. My local art glass store owner, when I made this window, and mentor Margie of Margie’s Art Glass Studio, in Minot, North Dakota helped me select suitable glass substitutes for a few of the colors and offered encouragement as this was just the fourth window I had made at the time.      

• Glass
• copper
• foil
• lead
• solder
• reinforcing
• frame
• zink