A Work of Glass

When Elaine met her future husband, Don Jones, she heard he had a hobby of working in stained-glass. She thought that meant he made sun-catchers and other such pieces. Little did she know she would be helping him work with moving around 6’ X 8’ sheets of glass!

Don and Elaine have been creating beautiful custom glass designs for ten years. One example of their art is seen by hundreds of motorists daily, the eagle above the entryway to the fire department on

Marco Island where Don works. But according to Don, “to really see a piece at its best, one needs to be inside looking out.”

Clients request a variety of custom designs to fill all sorts of shapes and uses in their homes from doors and windows to kitchen backsplashes. Their art has included pineapples, cardinals, turtles, a fox, a scene with an elephant and other nature scenes. The artists like to meet with clients to discuss what sort of piece they’d like, technical

specifications and to get a sense of how the piece will be incorporated with their personal style and surroundings. “We sketch out a design so the customer knows exactly how it is going to look and how it fits in with their plans,” Don comments.

Sheets of glass are ordered according to the design. Most locally, but some designs require specific colors or types of glass that have to be special ordered. In the case of the 6’ X 8’ sheets mentioned above,

they came all the way from Germany! Special hand-made beveled pieces such as pineapples or turtles can require beveled pieces which come made-to-order by hand from Texas.

Elaine was interested in art before meeting Don. “I enjoy art, but sometimes I still get a bit nervous handling the larger pieces of glass. Still afraid I’ll break something. Don’s outlook is a bit different and he figures whatever it is can be replaced.” Fear or not, their beautiful designs and workmanship are evidence they work very well together.