Stained glass club offers residents creative outlet

By Jeff O'Brien

Friday, Aug. 22, 2008 | midnight

Inside a pair of workrooms at the Mountain Shadows Community Center in Sun City Summerlin, residents have been creating eye-catching pieces of art for the past 16 years.

It’s a form of art that isn’t too hard to pick up, said Arnie Silverglade, presdident of the 75-member Sun City Summerlin Stained Glass Club.

“To be honest, it’s not all that difficult,” Silverglade, 66, said. “You just need to put in the time and practice. As long as you’re reasonably good with your hands, you’ll do fine.”

The Stained Glass Club, which was formed in 1992, is one of about 80 clubs in Sun City Summerlin. Silverglade joined the club in 1999 — with no artistic experience — after retiring from a 27-year career in data processing for the Wall Street Journal.

“Most of our members had never done stained glass before joining this club,” Silverglade said.

The process begins with tracing a design over a piece of paper, cutting out the pattern and gluing it onto a piece of glass. The pattern is then cut out and a grinder is used to smooth the rough edges.

There are two main techniques, Silverglade said, in assembling the creations — the “foil method” and the “came method.”

The foil method involves soldering pieces of glass together with copper foil tape attached to the edges.

Using the second method, each piece of glass slides into grooves in strips of metal came and the joints are soldered together. It’s not necessarily stronger, but offers a different look.

“Everyone thinks of stained glass and they think of windows, but you can create pictures, clocks, jewelry boxes and sun catchers,” Silverglade said. “There’s a ton of variety.”

One of his creations is an eye-catching depiction of a horse, which is framed and made of mirrored glass.

Dozens of other pieces of stained glass can be found in the club’s two workrooms, but even more artwork is inside the homes of the club members.

Silverglade put together a series of colorful stained glass windows, which he used to decorate the entrance foyer to his home. He estimates that he’s made more than 100 pieces of stained glass art.

“It occupies your time and you have a beautiful project as your end result,” Silverglade said. “I always tell people that I love to shoot pool in the billiards club, but as soon as you walk out, you’re done. If you spend four or five hours in here, you walk out with a piece of art.”

One of the club members is Walter Medla, who moved to Sun City Summerlin in 1992 after retiring from Rockwell International, an engineering and software corporation in Milwaukee, Wis.

“I never did stained glass before I retired,” Medla said. “I took the beginner’s class and I was hooked. I’ve been doing it now for about 14 years.”

Medla, 75, has made several stained glass windows, which he installed around his home and on the garage door. Another one of his creations is a dazzling picture of a horse consisting of numerous pieces and colors.

The amount of time it takes to complete a stained glass project varies widely, he said. Some projects might take one or two months, others much longer.

“One of our members had 3,000 pieces for a lampshade he was making and it took about three years to finish,” Medla said. “It was thousands of pieces of glass that needed to be cut and soldered together.”

His favorite aspect of the club is the social component, he said.

“It’s a social outlet where you can also get something accomplished,” Medla said. “But many times, you’ll come in here and you’re lucky to do two pieces because we’re all busy talking about Obama or McCain.”

Jeff O’Brien is a reporter for the Home News. He can be reached at 702-990-8957 or [email protected].