The ancient art of stained glass is alive and well in the hands of Vero Beach native Kathryn Beatty Self, who celebrates the art form through her business, Stained Glass Passion.
Stained glass has a long and rich global history. From decorative windows in classical Egyptian homes to visual storytelling in the Gothic cathedrals of medieval Europe, its beauty has delighted the human eye and spirit for millennia.
Self has her own fascinating history in Vero Beach, beginning with her blacksmith grandfather who arrived and settled the family here more than a century ago, in 1921.
Self and her husband, Tim, who she describes as her “biggest fan” with a passion for the arts that complements hers, raised five children here.
“My husband writes and plays classic rock in a room down the hall from my home studio,” she shares.
“My studio is half the size it needs to be. I have a very large workbench, and a lot of glass, but I manage to make it work.”
Just how much glass is in Self’s home studio? She explains that most of her projects contain no fewer than 300 individual pieces of glass.
Her most complex project, a replica of a green Tiffany lamp, comprises a whopping 1,782 pieces of glass. Louis Comfort Tiffany, the American mastermind whose name has become almost synonymous with stained glass, is someone Self deeply admires.
“It’s so gratifying that I’m using the same process as Tiffany did,” she reveals.
The process, which involves assembling each numbered piece one by one like a jigsaw puzzle, is as painstaking as it is beautiful. She characterizes stained glass construction as a “slow art.”
“This is not for somebody who lacks patience. It’s slow and meticulous work. Someone who needs instant gratification, this is not for you,” says Self.
“You can’t be careless and you can’t be drinking! You have to be in the right mood or you break a lot of glass, and the glass is extremely expensive.”
She procures much of her fragile material from Florida vendors, including Susie’s Stained Glass in Melbourne and Glass Crafters in Sarasota. Her equipment includes cutters, most notably a handy pistol grip cutter.
“With my pistol grip cutter, I can cut all day long and not have wrist fatigue. With a grinder, you cut each piece of glass, grinding the sharp pieces off so you don’t lacerate yourself.”
Self asserts that she has never had a major accident in her studio, which she attributes to her patience with the art form and her sense that it is a true calling.
“I believe that it’s a God-given skill to make people happy. For me, it’s a mild obsession and maybe not so mild.”
The fascination began more than 40 years ago when Self enrolled in a class taught by her high school friend, Jens Tripson, an accomplished stained-glass artist. On a whim, she took the class with a girlfriend and never looked back.
“Half the class dropped out after a few weeks,” she says.
But Self dedicated herself to the artform, even while she was busy raising her children and working for her father’s rental property business.
“In those days, I didn’t have a lot of time. I dabbled in it and did my own vision of what I wanted for my house, with kitchen cabinets, sidelights and windows.”
Today, she says, the work on her house is just about finished, revealing with a laugh that “there are no windows left” to add stained-glass detailing.
With the artistry in her own house now complete, Self is ready to tackle more commissions and bring light and beauty into people’s homes, one piece at a time. She enjoys choosing colors and textures for her creations, which she will fashion from scratch according to a client’s personal vision.
Self has fulfilled commissions for churches, including the Community Church of Vero Beach. Some of her inspiration is derived from fellow stained-glass artist and Vero Beach resident Paul Pickel, who has completed projects for the grand cathedrals of Europe.
She has also created pieces as gifts for her family, including a current project – a stained-glass piece depicting the head of her son’s chocolate Labrador retriever, Guthrie, who passed away. She also makes and sells functional pieces such as bird baths and windchimes. Butterfly-themed projects designed for outdoor use are among her favorites.
“My yard is a certified monarch butterfly garden. I raise five different types of butterflies; that’s another passion of mine. Every plant in my yard is for the butterflies. I’m very busy!”
Self has relished every moment of her labor of love; honing her craft while listening to the sounds of Steely Dan, Three Dog Night and the Eagles.
“I’m up late at night, sometimes until 2 a.m. The music is blaring and I’m happy as a clam; I don’t want to go to bed. I have to make myself go to bed and then I’m up early in the morning working again.”
Self is equally busy caring for Laura, her 97-year-old mother who struggles with Alzheimer’s.
“I have to take her to a lot of doctor’s appointments. She no longer recognizes me,” says Self.
Describing Laura as “wonderful,” Self affirms that up until a year ago her mother was very engaged, and adds that her mother will leave a lasting legacy.
As Self continues to devote more than 10 hours a day to her stained-glass passion, hoping to carve out her own legacy, she would like to participate in local shows from time to time and take on more custom work.
“My art will be around longer than I will. The reason I do this is that I want people to see what I see,” she says.
In a word, what Self sees in stained glass is beauty; something that is most apparent as each creation transitions from prototype to final version.
“When you’re building a window, it’s on your bench the whole time. You don’t know how it’s going to look until it’s finished.
“The most satisfying moment is when I hold up the window to the light for the first time.”
Photos by Joshua Kodis
