Summer may be winding down, but I’m not quite ready to give up the sunshine! I love making suncatchers because they’re meant to do exactly what their name says—catch the light and add a little color and happiness to a window. For this one, I went bright and cheerful, layering colorful glass to create the background and adding flowers, leaves, stems, and a fun little mushroom to make a whimsical garden. I even carried the colors into the handmade beaded hanger at the top. I love that you can see some of the texture and color from the back, too. Maybe that’s why I enjoy making suncatchers so much. Even with summer coming to an end, you can still keep a little piece of it hanging in the window. 🌸☀️❤️
For my next suncatcher, I decided to play with layers of color and texture rather than creating a traditional scene. I let the different colors blend and flow into one another and added colorful murrine for little pops of pattern and detail. But my favorite part has to be the two little squirrels at the bottom. 🐿️ They look like they’re sitting together having a conversation—probably discussing where they hid their nuts! 😂 I finished this one with a simple silver chain so the glass itself remains the star. I also love how different it looks from the front and back. That’s part of the fun of suncatchers: the glass creates the artwork, but the sunlight gets to add the finishing touch. ☀️❤️
For this suncatcher, I wanted to create the feeling of looking up into a beautiful blue summer sky. I layered different shades of blue and aqua glass, using frit and other bits of glass to add color, texture, and movement. Then I filled my little sky with colorful murrine butterflies, birds, bees, and dragonflies. I love all the tiny details in these pieces—each one adds a different little surprise as your eye travels down the glass. The layers of blue are especially pretty when light shines through them, which is exactly why I love making suncatchers. Depending on the time of day and the light coming through the window, the glass can look completely different. A little piece of blue sky to hang in the window—even on a cloudy day! ☀️🦋💙
For this suncatcher, I decided to combine several techniques in one piece. I used bubble paint to create all those wonderful little bubbles and textures throughout the colorful background, then added handmade glass flowers for a bright pop of dimension. The large floral design was screen printed with glass enamel, giving me that strong black silhouette against all the color and texture underneath. I love the contrast between the crisp screen-printed image and the almost unpredictable patterns created by the bubble paint. This is one of those pieces where there’s something different to notice depending on how closely you look—and when the sunlight comes through all those bubbles, colors, and layers, that’s when it really comes alive. 🌸☀️
Every once in a while I make a piece that I just can’t bring myself to part with, and this was one of them. I originally intended it to be another suncatcher, but when it came out of the kiln, I loved it so much that I decided to display it as a glass sculpture instead. I created the background with layers of colorful glass arranged almost like stripes, then added a winding green vine filled with flowers and leaves. Little murrine details—including ladybugs and another tiny garden visitor—are tucked throughout, so there’s something new to notice from top to bottom. I put it on a simple stand so the entire piece can be seen, and I absolutely love how it turned out. Sometimes you make glass for other people…and sometimes you look at a finished piece and say, “Nope. This one’s mine!” 🌻🐞✨
Even though summer is over, I’m apparently not ready to let it go just yet! These suncatchers gave me a chance to play with color, murrine, handmade flowers, screen printing, bubble paint, frit, and lots of little details. Each one took a completely different direction, which is part of what makes working with glass so much fun. And, of course, one piece decided it was far too pretty to hang in a window and became a sculpture that is staying with me! 😂
Seasons may change, but there’s always room for a little color and sunshine in the window. ☀️🌸🦋❤️
If you would like to see more of my fused glass work, please refer to my website Elegant Fused Glass by Karen. If you get a chance, check out all my site and my Elegant Fused Glass by Karen YouTube. If you would like to stay abreast of what I’m up-to and learn a little more about jewelry, check out our newsletter. It is published the last day of each month.
Keeping my kilns warm,
Karen
