As the son of a professional artist, creative urges were in my blood. My earliest memories are of awe and fascination as I gazed at the stained glass windows in churches and cathedrals in New York City. In the late 1970s, this fascination transitioned into a serious hobby. During my “hobby stage,” I became skilled in the basics of the stained glass craft.

In 1998, already adept at establishing, running, and managing an engineering services firm, I felt it was time to follow my dream of becoming a full-time stained glass artist, using my business experience to establish my own stained glass company. 

For the first two years I worked to build Prism Effects into a viable business entity while still maintaining my professional position. During this transition period, I:

• Became a member of the Stained Glass Association of America and took advantage of available technical training and manuals.

• Established wholesale accounts with vendors.

• Converted a 20’ x 30’ workshop into a dedicated and well-appointed stained glass studio.

• Dedicated a home office with a library of stained glass literature and state-of-the-art computer equipment to manage the business and to run a variety of stained glass computer-aided design (CAD) software packages.

• Leased space to store a substantial inventory of glass and stock bevels, lead and zinc came, zinc and steel rebar, materials to fabricate wood and steel frames, and materials to build custom crates.

• Bought a dedicated, professionally lettered truck and equipped it with a specially designed and fabricated stained glass carrying rack.

• Acquired the tools and equipment one would expect to find in a professional stained glass studio. In addition to the hand tools of the trade, special equipment includes:

1. Water-cooled diamond band saws, ring saws, and grinders

2. Large light table

3. Glass beveling equipment

4. Electric miter saw for precise zinc, brass, and copper came cutting

5. Stationary and portable sand blasting equipment, including a large air compressor and sandblasting cabinet

6. Large computer-controlled kiln to slump, fuse, and/or fire painted glass

7. Wood-working equipment to fabricate frames and custom crates

8. Welding and metal cutting equipment to fabricate steel frames for large stained glass panels