My first encounter with stained glass began in high school, when I wrote a research paper on Gothic architecture and the building of St. Denis and Abbot Sugar, for a project in Modern European history. Around this same time, my brother’s friend came by our home with a stained glass panel he had just completed for a college art project. I was so intrigued by this panel. To this day I remember the dark burnished patina on the wide lead and the turpentine smell of the fresh waterproofing. While majoring in art at Texas Tech, I stumbled across a small stained glass shop near the Texas Tech campus, where I signed up for a beginning stained glass class. From that first class, I was hooked on glass. On a trip to Austin, I visited a glass studio and saw the model for a glass studio: what I wanted to do for a living.

I ended up in Waco, Texas, and in 1979, my wife Suzanne and I started Stanton Glass Studio on a shoestring budget. There were not a lot of teaching materials on the subject of stained glass back then. Most of my learning came from observing how others did things – etched, sand carved, painted, copper foiled, beveled and leaded glass. One of my first commissions was Central Christian Church in Waco, restoring a handful of windows. I dove into the project, and began the course of learning by doing. The project turned out well and from there we designed several new projects for other clients. Once again, every step was a learning process. My studio has grown over the years. Our portfolio includes a stained glass chandelier for the Badlands Hotel in Lajitas, Texas, several light fixtures for Vic and Anthony’s Steakhouse in Houston, Texas, and Las Vegas, Nevada, and a wide variety of lighting for the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, including the famed Driskill Dome. After being a part of the Stained Glass Association of America for only a few years, I became the chair of the membership committee and am on the board of directors of the SGAA in 2008.

Invite Bryant to speak at your next seminar or event; he is experienced in educating people concerning stained glass restoration as well as other aspects of stained glass. Check the Calendar of Events for Bryant’s next educational seminar.

Drawing since childhood, Joe Barbieri took art classes in high school and studied drawing and anatomy at Nassau College in New York and Northlake College in Texas. But it wasn't until 1992 that he discovered the joy of painting and the opportunities it afforded to communicate with others.

     Though primarily "self-taught", he attributes much of his progress to the help of many knowledgeable friends.  He also studied under CA artist Ron Riddick in his "Painting with a Passion" workshop and was the only artist from that workshop to receive a full scholarship for Research and Development to the Prix de West Invitational Exhibition at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.

Since 1998 Joe has worked with Stanton Glass Studio in Texas where he paints one of a kind stained glass pieces for churches, hotels, museums, and private residences throughout the US.

Joe's stained glass, watercolor and oil paintings have been purchased by individuals, collectors and museums across the Southwest and overseas. His work has appeared in the Mountain Oyster Show, the Peppertree Show, the Salon International Show and the Phippen Museum Show. He is represented in galleries throughout the Southwest.    

"Artists have different reasons why they do what they do," he says. "Some paint for the abstract relationships between objects, some for their love of color or design and so on. You might say my work is subject driven. I believe God has given us a wonderful, amazing and beautiful creation. I want to express my appreciation for His work through my art." 

Check the Calendar of Events for Joe’s next painting workshop.

Ingrid was born in Frankfurt, Germany and came to America in the 1970’s. She and her husband Peter settled in central Texas after touring around the States. Ingrid can’t get enough of the art of stained glass. Starting with copper foil lampshades and sun catchers, she quickly learned how to use lead, and through years of experience and trial and error, she has perfected her craft. Ingrid’s German blood demands that her work be meticulous; she doesn’t even know what cutting corners means. When she isn’t building windows, Ingrid loves to swim, garden, play with her cats and enjoy visits from her daughters and their families.