Enchanted by the luminous colors and ever-changing lucidity of glass, artist Donatella Zaccaria resolved to transform her drawings into translucent mosaics. Her lovely creations shimmer across the pages as she conveys her passion for glass to the reader. She explores all the basics--tools and materials, cutting, welding, design planning, and leading--in the framework of five step-by-step projects, also touching briefly on the fused glass and collage techniques. A photo gallery of 40 more pieces presents lamps, hangings, frames, boxes and candleholders to further spark readers' imaginations; a dozen more works of true stained glass art by the author and by a stained glass painter show us where the medium can go in the hands of the masters. Another dozen pages offer patterns ready for photocopying, for those ready to move on to more advanced levels. --Amy Handy --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
Artisan Zaccaria, head of a Milan glassworks studio, gears her explanations to both beginners and experienced crafters through step-by-step projects illustrated with photographs. Five patterns--a butterfly box, a Tiffany lampshade, a flower tray, and two abstracts--become the basis for learning two stained-glass techniques: copper foil with lead and "straight" lead soldering. Each technique includes excellent close-up photographs of the cutting, trimming, welding, and sealing processes, with enough text to guide unsteady hands. Simple classic forms are the book's mainstay, but the ideas contained in the last third are truly inspirational, ranging from containers to a breathtaking three-dimensional painted-on-glass horse from artist Giuseppe Codena, giving readers a sense of the limitlessness of the art. Barbara Jacobs
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