I wrote a post back in April, sharing the beginnings of my first stained glass repair. You can read it here.
When I was asked about the possibility of the repair, I knew my teacher could do it. I didn't know that she was going to have me do it. I sent her a picture of the cross and her response was to tell me I can do it.
And I did.
Not without tons of help though.
I learned lots from that repair. As I have already written, I experienced deconstruction in order to construct.
It took me about a month to get it done, putting in close to 12 hours on the project.
A repair is different from creation. I found myself wanting to honor the original creator's work and the desires of the owner as I moved through the process. That is probably normal. I also noticed that I wanted to strengthen the piece where possible, without changing how it looked.
Though I have improved on being able to breathe through on my own work, I noticed myself holding my breath more on the repair. Learning to let go, make mistakes, and keep going on a piece that meant something to someone else was a definite learning curve.
My teacher gave me advice and showed me lots of things along the repair. When I second guessed myself, she helped me talk it through.
In my first post I noted that the destruction part was satisfying. It was. Knowing that something broken had to be broken more in order to be fixed was a good lesson. I leaned into that part.
The time I spent with this repair was meaningful. I am grateful for the experience.
Stained glass work has a holy component to it for me. It isn't just a hobby or physical activity. It has become a spiritual practice that allows me to practice breathing, creativity, and much more.
You can take a look at the photos below of the finished piece and some of the process.
Peace on the journey,
Deb
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