The Nativity

The Nativity was a pattern that I followed that was created by Justin Behnke Studios. It was called Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

Justin Bernke had an article published in the Stain Glass News (issue 145) The article suggested going through your stores of older glass looking for unique colors and textures.  This pattern was perfect for that challenge.  It also allowed me to use up smaller pieces of glass I had kept from previous projects.

This pattern measures 23"x23" and is a flat panel submission.  I used the Foil and Soldering method.  The faces were painted on with Vitrea black outliner paints and fired in my home oven. Due to the size of my panel I used Re-Strip copper to reinforce the glass.

When I chose my glass I used both back and front sides of the glass to give my piece both depth and texture. For example the white glass for the sheep shows the texture of the wool using both sides of the glass.  I used the same selection process for the clouds and stars.

This really was a fun project. Thanks to Justin Behnke for tips on glass selection and this beautiful pattern.