Sun Catchers are Here!
Today’s peek behind the glass is pretty special for me: after more than a year of research and refinement, our very first production suncatchers are on their way to customers (and some have already started to arrive!). Here’s how we got here:
When I completed my first commissioned stained glass panel, I was struck by how labor-intensive each piece was—and how that would severely limit how many pieces I could make if I had to not only design but also produce each one myself.
Then came the chance to design officially licensed Middle-earth artwork for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. That opportunity reignited my goal: to share genuine stained glass art with as many fans as possible, at a price that was more accessible than fully custom work. So I began searching for a partner who could faithfully reproduce my designs at scale.
After a thorough search, I found a production studio that seemed capable of matching my vision. But finding them was only the beginning. What followed was multiple rounds of sampling, reviewing, rejecting, and retooling until we landed on the perfect combination of materials and methods. I knew I’d made the right choice when they tackled details I never imagined possible.
As one example: when I first made the Sting prototype, I apparently used a rare, hard-to-find glass for the blade. During production, none of the off-the-shelf options had the vibrance and clarity I wanted. Rather than compromise, the studio custom-made sheet glass to our exact specifications! In my years of stained glass work, I’ve never seen that done before, and it’s such an amazing bonus to be working with a production partner with this level of capability.
The end result of all this effort is TRUE stained glass art, handcrafted using the same time-honored techniques I use in my own workshop, but produced in quantities I simply couldn’t manage alone. These suncatchers meet my exacting standards for beauty and affordability, and I couldn’t be prouder to see them carrying the Geek Orthodox name.