This last month, I cleaned a stained glass ceiling - a labor of love - when I was done, it sparkled.
Removing one panel, I found my signature, and a date: 1981 - 33 years ago!

In my early 20’s, (it turns out), I began a series of commissions for the Ochs family in Corona Del Mar.
They invited me to make several original pieces of stained glass for their spectacular home over the next 15 or so years. 
The most prominent was this entryway ceiling, where my idea was to build a dome, using flat panels like a large faceted gem.

After drawing up designs, I gathered great people to assist me and they gave me their best. 
Late one day, after many weeks of hard work, I was up a tall ladder, installing one of the last glass panels, when Peter Ochs walked in. Seeing the nearly completed dome for the first time, he burst out with huge enthusiasm: “Bravo!”.
I’ll always remember that moment - sweet.

For many years, I studied architectural craft. I thought about building a business and life around it - Glass-working, carved doorways, lighting, wrought iron and ceramics filled my head. 
At one point, solving technical problems was a consuming fascination - Just reading a book on adhesives was fun, (the pleasures of an engineer I guess!).

But my favorite artwork always transcended that. 
Craft could move my body, craft work engaged my head, but nice, neat packages leave so much out.
I was hungry for poetry - poetry explores the loose ends, the grey areas.
By nature, it’s uncomfortably uncaged.

Life is that way, 
a journey into parts unknown. 
We do our best to avoid surprises,
(But only death is still).