Castle Studio Stained Glass

Author: Randall Claggett

Stained Glass Lighting Solution Projects

Castle Studio recently completed a project at Abington Presbyterian Church, in Abington, Pennsylvania. The church had two existing stained glass windows in the front of the church that were in areas with no interior light sources. While the windows could be viewed from the outside during the daytime, at night the windows appeared dark. To enhance the beauty of the church, they requested a lighting solutions for the windows that would allow them to be seen outside the church at night.

Castle solved their issue by installing low-wattage LED light panels behind the windows, enabling them to be viewed in all their glory to passersby throughout the night.

February 24, 2015
Restoration at Elstowe Manor in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

Castle Studio recently completed an art glass restoration project at the historic Elstowe Manor in Elkins Park, PA, outside of Philadelphia. This project entailed the complete restoration of one stained glass ceiling in the mansion, as well as the cleaning of a second ceiling. Details of this extensive project have been documented in a booklet that explains the steps taken to restore these beautiful windows to their original grandeur: CastleStudioArtGlassRestorationProject

May 31, 2014
Stained glass Tiffany style angel, St. Peters, State College, Pa

This was my first Tiffany style angel window. I had been studying the glass techniques of Tiffany studios for many years, and have actually done conservation to several of his windows. My challenge was to have the same feel of a Tiffany, but use different techniques to achieve a look that is all Castle Studio. The clouds are painted on the back so that it is softened by looking through the opalescent glass first. The wings are cut and back painted with a glass made to mimic Tiffany glass commonly used in the wings. The inscription on the bottom was made with sandblasting the letters onto blue/teal flashed glass. The robes are not drapery glass, just painted to look angelic. All in all, I am quite pleased with the result, and did not just make a Tiffany look a like.

February 24, 2014
Stained glass Autumn scene, Weslyian UMC, Tyrone, Pa

This is one of my favorite windows that I’ve ever made. My client had lost her husband and wanted to make a window that depicted an outdoor theme. I wanted a peaceful appearance with a waterfall. The colors of the window and the pathway on the left side represents the autumn of her husbands life. Down further is a bridge across the water which represents his passing. On the other side of the bridge is a light from heaven to bring him home. I am proud of this window and what it represents.

February 24, 2014
Stained Glass Restoration at Motherhouse Chapel, Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA

This project took nearly two years to complete! We were thrilled to be commissioned by the Sisters of Saint Joseph from Chestnut Hill College to completely restore all three floors of stained glass at the Motherhouse Chapel. We removed the windows in groups and returned them to the studio for restoration. Once they were completed, they were returned to their original openings. One of the features that we changed about the re-installation was to replace the current annealed protective glazing with 1/4″ laminated safety glass. The safety glass will not allow any fragments of broken glass to fall should a panel get damaged. The other upgrade we installed were aluminum T bars between the stained glass sections, and new aluminum ventilators with exterior screens. All of the wooden frames were scraped and painted so that we could seal all of the windows in place with a one part urethane. The urethane provides excellent adhesion rated for expansion joints, which allows the glass and wood to expand without damaging the seal.

Hand-painted Triple Lancet Window Restoration

Angel stained glass restoration

Stained glass restoration at the Motherhouse Chapel at Chestnut Hill College

Rose Window Restoration at the Motherhouse Chapel for the Sister’s of St. Joseph at Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA.

February 22, 2014
Upper East Side Panel

This is one of the designs that Castle Studio made for Eastern Dental in New Jersey. The floor plan of the office had half walls between the dental chairs, and glass above it. In order to provide some privacy, we were commissioned to sandblast the long glass panels on top of the half walls with similar themes, in this case, the buildings of the Upper East Side in New York City. It also provided some art to enjoy and distract the patients during their procedures.

February 22, 2014
Hand Painted Blue Heron Window

Castle Studio designed and fabricated an opalescent stained glass window for a customer in upstate New Jersey. He wanted a hand painted blue heron, ducks, and Canadian geese in the design. We chose opalescent glass because there was a jacuzzi tub beside the window which needed some privacy. The window measures roughly 4 feet tall by 7 feet wide. The blue heron in the window stands almost 3 feet tall, which is fairly close to the actual size of the bird. This has turned out to be one of our most popular windows, with numerous other customers wanting a similar design.

February 22, 2014
Jesus with the Children Stained Glass Window

This window is one of a series of windows that we made for the Ten Mile Baptist Church, Lumberport, WV. Making these windows was a nice challenge for my skills as a stained glass painter. It was also a research and development phase for my combination of glass paint and acid work on the flashed glass of the skies. Each window has a sky that is special and helps define the emotion and character of the different scenes.

October 23, 2013
French-Style Painted Glass Window

This beautiful window came to me with damage and missing pieces in the lower left section of the panel. One of my talents as a glass painter has always been the ability to make quality replicas of damaged painted glass. This particular paint style is French, and one of my favorite to study.

This project was a painted glass replication and repair. French-style painted stained glass window in a home in Green Lane, PA.

October 23, 2013
Abstract Stained Glass

This window was made in conjunction with a designer for a home in Radnor, Pa. The glass is completely hand-blown with the inclusion of 3 hand-blown rondels. It was made as a privacy panel for the first floor half bath in the home.

October 22, 2013