First you cry then you pick yourself up. Let's walk through the process.

When someone calls me or brings in a broken piece of stained glass art, I first take a look at it- just an overall evaluation of the piece. Next I mark each broken piece with a sharpie with a number, this way I know how many broken pieces there are and they are marked so I do not have to look for them again. Then I figure out what kind of glass it is- true antique or present glass (1970's to today). Do I have the glass? Can I get replacement glass? Is it lead work or copperfoil? How hard is it to get to and replace the broken pieces? Does the whole piece need to be taken apart to to repair it?

I know that there were way too many questions in that paragraph. It takes some detective work to figure out the process from start to finish and I just wanted to give you a peek behind the process.

As a base line I charge $50 for the first piece and $25 for each addition piece. The amount of damage also may make the piece not repairable, both glass wise and financially. It is hard when someone comes in with a piece their parent made or that has been in the family forever and they want it repaired and when they hear the cost they are devastated again.

I have had people sign up for a stained glass class so they could learn to do stained glass and try their hand at repairing the piece themselves.

If you do have a stained glass art piece that needs repair please email me at kim@kimsjoy.com or call me at 703-623-0905 for a complimentary estimate of repair. 

HERE’S HOW TO TAKE CARE OF A STAINED GLASS PIECE OF ART. (This is cut and pasted from a handout on stained glass care that will be going home with each piece purchased or commissioned from Art Happens on Tarboro.

HANGING A SUNCATCHER:  I RECOMMEND THAT YOU HANG YOUR PIECE SECURELY FROM A STURDY HOOK THAT HAS BEEN SCREWED INTO A SECURE MATERIAL, LIKE A WALL STUD OR WOODEN WINDOW FRAME – SOMETHING THAT ISN’T GOING TO FALL DOWN. I AM NOT A HUGE FAN OF SUCTION CUP HANGERS ATTACHED TO WINDOWS.
 
CLEANING: THE STAINED GLASS PIECE YOU HAVE PURCHASED HAS BEEN CLEANED, THEN COMPLETELY PROTECTED WITH A WAXY SEALER THAT IS APPLIED IN ITS SPRAY LIQUID FORM, IS LEFT TO DRY, AND IS THEN BUFFED AND POLISHED WITH A SOFT, DRY RAG. ASIDE FROM A GENTLE DUSTING, YOUR PIECE MAY NEVER NEED TO BE CLEANED. I DON’T RECOMMEND USING WINDOW CLEANERS OR OTHER CHEMICAL CLEANERS ON ANY PIECE OF STAINED GLASS, SINCE THEY MAY DAMAGE THE LEAD, SOLDER, GLASS AND INTEGRITY OF THE PIECE. 

WHITENING OF SOLDER LINES: I CLEAN THE PIECE BEFORE IT IS SEALED. HOWEVER, FROM TIME TO TIME, SOLDER OR LEAD WILL OXIDIZE AND LEAVE A WHITISH SUBSTANCE ON ITS SURFACE. GENTLY WIPE WITH A BRUSH OR A NON-ABRASIVE PLASTIC POT SCRUBBER TO REMOVE THE “WHITE”. (NEVER PUT ABRASIVE STUFF ON YOUR GLASS PIECE. IF YOU CAN’T GET THE “WHITE” OFF, CONTACT ME.) 

TWICE A YEAR, I RECOMMEND YOU RE-SEAL THE PIECE SO THAT IT’S PROTECTED FROM “WHITEN”. GLASS SEALER IS AVAILABLE AT ART HAPPENS ON TARBOR. I SPRAY THE SEALER ON A SOFT RAG AND THEN POLISH THE METAL AND GLASS SURFACES FOLLOWED BY A SOFT DRY RAG TO BUFF IT.​

TOUCHING YOUR GLASS PIECE:  STAINED GLASS PIECES ARE PUT TOGETHER WITH SOLDER THAT CONTAINS LEAD. EVEN THOUGH EACH PIECE IS SEALED WHEN IT’S FINISHED, I ALWAYS SUGGEST THAT YOU DO WHAT I DO AND WASH YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WARM WATER AFTER CLEANING/ HANDLING ANY STAINED GLASS PIECE. LEAD IS A HEALTH ISSUE WHEN INHALED OR INGESTED. WASHING YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING IT IS CONSIDERED SUFFICIENT PRECAUTIONS TO PREVENT UNWANTED EXPOSURE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL ME 252-650-2530 OR EMAIL ME kim@Arthappensontarboro.com or kim@kimsjoy.com.










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Update from Art Happens on Tarboro: due to contruction the studio will be open by appointment only, just call Kim at 252-560-2530 to set up an appointment for supplies of gifts. I live close by so I can be there quickly.

Classes will be held in January, following mask wearing and social distancing.

I want to thank all patrons and students for all your support this past year. Thank you for being part of the Art Happens on Tarboro family.

Wishing you all the best in the last few days of 2020!

Happy New Year to all! Hoping that 2021 will be the best it can be for everyone!
​Kim

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Great news for us all! The Grant for the Facade Rebuild for Art Happens on Tarboro was approved! The contractors have been chosen! Work begins Monday December14!

Finally after 317 days work will begin! What does that mean for visiots and students?
Visitors will have to call to make an appointment and classes will go on as scheduled. If you want to sign up for a class be sure to call me at 252-650-2530 to confirm that we can still use classroom. Just to be safe.

I plan on being here some of the time to work and of course.... supervise! That is my goal in life. No actually I will try to do some of the work to keep costs down,

I will post photos of the progress on our Facebook Page.

Stay safe!
​Kim

I guess winter is coming, this morning it was hard to get out of bed and touch the cold hardwood floors to let Fred out. And then when we went for our morning walk I was glad to have hiking boots and gloves on. Brrrr! Luckily I have forewood already stacked and set to go. I did think about a fire in the fireplace last night when it was 37 but opted out because I would have to go out and carry wood in. Yes I am a weenie!

Fall has been good for me- classes, commissions and sales are picking up. I even took a class myself....... hold on for it...... welding! Yes I took a welding class at the Wilson Community College. We just finished this week. Learned oxy/acetylene, stick and MIG welding. I loved them all but my favorite is oxy/acetylene... love to turn and burn! Made a dog out of scrap steel and started on a bicycle wheel spinner that will have stained glass in it. Lots of practice pieces that I kept (to put in my scrap book!- just kidding!)

This afternoon I close on the loan to do the repairs to the facade.... finally. It has been exposed since February 8. I can not wait for the job to be done! The front has looked like hell for long enough and I will be happy not to have buckets in the window during rain storms and having to come empty them in the middle of the night.

I finished the commission for Barnes Corner Gallery. The number sticker has to be removed so it can't be seen. I love the cardinals. It was fun to work with Pegi Barnes Sharp designing and hanging these three pieces.

How was your Thanksgiving? I hope you had a wonderful meal. This has been a different year for all of us for sure. I am so thankful for all my family and friends and the ability to work with my hands and keep busy. I am even in a book club!

What do you have planned for the holidays? I was not going to decorate my house but I now think I will. It just would be sad not to. Even if it is just Fred the Studio Dog, Wesley the Studio Cat and me.

Hope you are all well and staying safe.

Remember keep art in your heART.
​Kim

The number one question customers ask me is....

Is it hard to make stained glass?

The answer is sometimes depending omn the glass you work with. Youghiogheny is beautiful glass that is shale like- layers and a little brittle ans can spinter when you break it.

Really doing stained glass is not that hard. When you start out, picke easier patterns and non expensive glass, this will make it easier on yourself. Ask questions, it is better to ask them than not to ask!

When I teach stained glass classes, I do not hover over them but give guidance when needed. The best way to learn is by doing and making some mistakes so you do not do that again.

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American Craft Week comes to Wilson!

Art Happens on Tarboro, joining more than 200 retailers and art institutions nationwide in celebration of American Craft, will be hosting workshops and demos October 2-11, 2020

Open to the general public during these workshops at 106 Tarboro Street Wilson NC, this American Craft Week will feature jewelry classes, stained glass classes, mixed media classes and various demos.

American Craft Week, now in its 11th year, is an annual coast -to-coast recognition of the makers, retailers, collectors and exhibitors of handmade craft. “We’re passionate about the exceptional value, enduring quality and cultural significance of handmade American craft”, says Diane Sulg, co-chair of the campaign. “In a society filled with machine-made things, we need to support the talented and dedicated people who create decorative and useful goods by hand.”

Art Happens on Tarboro supports American Craft Week because public awareness of the local crafts scene helps sustain jobs for artists and their businesses. There is a local return on that investment: in many towns, the arts help promote economic development and tourism. Art Happens on Tarboro is a multiple arts and crafts gallery and teaching space.

For more information about the American Craft Week celebration at Art Happens on Tarboro call Kim at  252-650-2530 or visit www.arthappensontarboro.com and go to American Craft Week tab. For a complete list of American Craft Week public events taking place locally and nationwide, go to www.americancraftweek.com

Do you ever wonder if you could make a stained glass panel? Just how hard is it? What if it looks bad? Will I be happy with it?  

I think the photos below answer all those questions. All first timers that completed their pieces (one even made a suncatcher with her scrap), they all look great and look at their faces... they are happy!

I have been teaching stained glass since 1982 and have had so many students. I did keep track but then I lost the total! I can say that everyone, except for an overachiever that designed his own HUGE piece, completed their class projects and some started or finished a second project.

I love my students, each and every one of them. I learned something from them all. I appreciate that they took the classes and helped me grow as an instructor. I carry a little bit of each one with me into the classroom. 

Would you like to lesarn how to working in stained glass? The pieces they hold are samples of some of the 14 patterns to choose from and you get to choose your own glass to make it unique to you. Classes are held on Tursday nights and Saturday morning. Check the classes page for the schedule. If you have any questions call Kim at 252-650-2530 or stop by Art Happens on Tarboro Wednesday through Saturday 10 am- 4 pm

I look forward to seeing you in class!

Mona Lisa is my muse. Mona Lisa and Stained Glass two of my favorite things. I set out to create her in glass. Little did I know how hard it would be to cut glass for her face. I am sorry Mona Lisa if you look like Hannibal Lector from Silence of the Lambs! I was broken hearted when it was all done. The rest does not look bad to me, what do you think? Next time I will use the band saw to cut her forehead and nose in one piece and her cheeks and chin in one piece also. This piece was done in 2013.

It is amazing how a person can continue to learn each day. And thank goodness I am open to learn from my mistakes!

If you have a photo or a painting you would like to have done in stained glass, let's talk. 

​To find out about the studio,  classes and events be sure to sign up for the VIP List.

 I have listed the September classes here on the Classes Page and Explore Wilson Website. They are on Art Happens on Tarboro Facebook Page. They will also be coming out in the September Issue of Wide Awake Wilson coming out September 1.

I am excited and a little nervous about having classes again. I do ask that student wear a mask and we will social distance and have santizing stations. Class sizes will be smaller than before. I have cleaned the studio and we will label student tool boxes so you get the same one back each week if you sign up for stained glass or jewelry making.

The studio has been busy. I just finished a repair from last August, it kept getting pushed aside for other projects until I said enough... finish it! There is a commission in the works and another repair waiting for its turn.

Art Happens on Tarboro will be participating in American Craft Week October 2 through October 11, this link goes to all participatants, ou need to scroll to find us. They will be listed on Art Happens on Tarboro Classes Page also for ease. If there are any classes that you missed that you would like to see again please let me know. I will be lisiting classes September 12.

What have you been creating during this time of sheltering in place? I have branched out and done some collage work and art journaling.

I am in two Virtual Book Clubs. One is with DelArts and have read two books- A Month in the Summer by JL Carr and The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant, so far. Zoom is amazing- getting to meet people in Delaware and get toether once a month to discuss a book. The one I am really looking forward to is Clara and Mr Tiffany, about Clara Driscol the designer of the Tiffany Lamps- she did not get credit during the creation.

The other Book Club is more Non-Fiction type- we did The Artists Way by Julia Cameron and are in Steal Like An Artist by Austin Kleon. This group is much younger..... I could be everyone's mom! But they roll with and it is great. We meet every Sunday!

To tell you thruth I have not read this many books, since March, since the college days! I am loving it. I want to start a Book Club and do a Zoom!

Stay safe and remember to keep art in your heART!
Kim