Stanton Stained Glass

A Blog from Designers of Fine Custom Architectural and Stained Glass
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About Stanton Stained Glass Studio

For over twenty-five years SGS has been working with Texas’ finest designers and architects, handcrafting leaded glass into inspired architectural windows and lighting. All designs are created in house by founder Bryant J. Stanton and artist Joe Barbieri. Guided by a collaborative approach, the company works directly with homeowners, architects and designers to create one-of-a-kind designs for their custom projects. Each window is produced one at a time, with great attention to detail. Through quality design and innovative fabrication, Stanton Glass Studio proudly offers a refreshing approach to this 800-year-old craft.

Staff

Bryant Stanton – Owner & Stained Glass Designer

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 piece he had just completed for a college art project. It was an approximately 36” by 36” panel of random colors. 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. My palate had been touched.

I spent the last two years of high school focusing on art and drafting and how to get out of Texas. My dream now was to attend Rhode Island School of Design, but the high cost of out-of-state tuition kept me in Texas, where I attended Texas Tech in Lubbock as an art major. While in college, 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 was told about a glass studio called Renaissance Glass. In my first visit, I glimpsed what I desired to do for living. I saw the model for a glass studio in Renaissance Glass.

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. I devoured the books and publications I could get my hands on. Most of my learning of techniques came from observation of how others did things – etched glass, sand carved, painted, copper foiled, beveled and leaded.

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. From here we created several new projects for other clients. Once again, every step was a learning process. Looking back at the early years, we really had no guidelines to follow, just common sense and the attitude that we had to do our best.

My studio has grown over the years. It has really surprised me as to the scope of the work Stanton Stained Glass has achieved over the years– both in new work and in restoration. 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 a wide variety of work for the Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas, including the famed Driskill Dome.

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.

Joe Barbieri – Artist

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 Andre – Stained Glass Craftsman

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.

Willow Hibbard – Marketing Director

My interest in graphic design began when I was 12; I spent most of my summer on a card and stationery computer software at my grandparent’s home. As my skills grew, I began to design freelance for friends, including graduation announcements, recital invitations, & business cards. I also enjoyed writing: songs, poetry, essays, novels, I even wrote for the school paper. I found that I could combine design and words; I decided to pursue design and advertising further after high school. I graduated from Texas State Technical College in Waco with a degree in Advertising Design and Print Technology. In my free time, I love spending time outdoors, with my family and friends, photography, creating collage art and reading in coffee shops.

Jordan Stanton – Production Manager


Suzanne Stanton – Accountant


Nathan Stanton – Stanton WoodWorks


Michele Chesney – Technician


Jenny Lawson – Technician


Dominic Barbieri – Technician


Kevin Lemus – Technician