When I build a stained glass window, I construct it flat on a board which means there is no light coming through for most of the process. There is a very special moment when I pick it up for the first time and see how it looks with light coming through the glass. To me, one of the most magical qualities of glass is the way it changes when light passes through it—finally seeing that aliveness is really rewarding. But after I have that moment, I need to lay the window back down to continue to work on it. I hold onto the memory of what it looked like until I install it and get to experience that again. I love when clients share with me that they have enjoyed watching their window change throughout the seasons, time of day, different weather conditions and depending upon their lighting inside their home. Often brilliant sunlight will pass through and create glowing patch of color on the floor. This window is only half of the commission I am creating for my clients so, while I have seen light passing through it, no one else has. I took this photo while the window was standing on my workbench with my white studio wall behind it, so again, no light. It gives a sense of what the window will look like but it is flat and a bit blurry because the “available light” (as my photographer friends call it) was dim. Yet I hope my clients get a sense of what it will look like. I am starting to work on the second window, which will resemble this one but not match. I’m looking forward to that magical moment when I glimpse the light coming through that one as well. And then, the most satisfying moment, when the windows are installed and my clients get to see it too.