Bibliography

Here is my "curated list" of books on stained glass techniques that I own which I have found helpful over the years. I have included short descriptions of why I like them. At this time they are not listed in any specific order.

The Art of Painting on Glass

by Albinus Elskus
http://www.albinaselskus.com/

When I told my department head at the Rhode Island School of Design that I wanted to do my degree project in glass painting his response was, "Well, Ken, nobody here teaches that. I suggest you go to the library and find a book." This is the book I encountered which set the course of my professional career. I will go on record saying that you cannot learn glass painting from a book. I was fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to take a workshop with Albinus at the Parsons School of Design in the 90's. I also go on record saying that you can't learn to paint on glass by taking one workshop. Find a window that you like and try to copy it - that's a helpful exercise. Also look at a lot of stained glass in situ as photographs don't tell the story. I have often thought of writing my own book; then I go back and reread the Art of Painting on Glass. Albin said it all. This book becomes more helpful as you put in the decades of practice with the craft

Working with Stained Glass: Fundamental Techniques and Applications 1975

by Jean Jacques Duval

This is the only book on my list that  goes into detail about how to lead a panel while tucking the cames. It also has a section on working with slab glass. If you are able to find a used copy you'll appreciate the section on copper foil that instructs the student on how to cut foil to width from large sheets of copper. Add to that very clear hand drawn diagrams and you'll quickly see why this is a little gem.

Stained Glass Craft Paperback – 1972

by J. A. F. Divine  (Author), G. Blachford (Author)

At the time of this writing I have misplaced my copy of this little book. I remember thinking - what a great beginning textbook for a student. No photos but lots of clear illustrative drawings of the core skills. Good detail on glass cutting and leading highlighting those little overlooked steps like striking the edge with another piece of glass. This is a crucial step I like to teach in a painting workshop because it can significantly prolong the life of your paint brushes.  

The Technique of Stained Glass (Hardcover) – October 27, 1977

by Patrick Reyntiens  (Author)

For the professional, this book begins with setting up your studio, including how to build all of the necessary equipment - like a glass easel. It goes on to cover everything. Looking through it again as I write this I would have to elevate it to the MOST USEFUL book for the professional stained glass artist.

Stained Glass Painting: Basic Techniques of the Craft (Paperback) – November, 1979

by Anita Isenberg (Author), Seymour Isenberg (Author), Richard Millard (Author)

I'm not familiar with the Isenbergs but I did know Dick Mallard. His voice is present in this text. As to practical information for the glass painter it's hard to choose between this text and Albinas'. The cover is atrocious and without Dick Mallard's name as the author I would have overlooked this on the used book pile.Yes like many of the books on my list it is out of print. My paperback copy has a detached cover and the former owner added lots of notes in the margins. 

The Complete Stained Glass Course: How to Master Every Major Glass Work Technique, with Thirteen Stunning Projects to Create 

 – September, 1996

by Lynette Wrigley (Author), Marc Gerstein  (Author)

This is my most recent acquisition. I bought it out of curiosity when I saw it listed on Amazon. The fact that it actually featured a painted panel on the cover gave me hope that it might be more than another hobbyist text. I thought it might even work as a textbook for my teaching  practice at Bryn Athyn College. Regrettably it's not even close to the triumvirate of Elskus, Reyntiens and Mallard. I'm including it because it is certainly a place to start. It's currently in print. It has pretty photographs. It covers all the techniques. I don't recommend that you purchase this book but if you do, my advice is to take a black sharpie and cross out the phrase "How to Master Every Major Glass Work Technique" so a future reader is not mislead. The projects are understandably simplistic and the techniques lack the depth of instruction you'll find in the older volumes. I feel that this text is symptomatic of our times, promising a "quick and easy way" to a craft that can take a lifetime to master. 

Time and Temperature: a glass painter's guide to multiple layering

ISBN 978-09548757-8-7 Jonathan Cooke

http://www.stainedglassconservation.co.uk/book.asp

Jonathan Cooke is one of the living masters that you should seek out to study under. He self-published this tiny jewel which will be of great interest to the professional glass painter. I do mean tiny - 4" x 6". He gave me a copy when he came to teach at my studio. The book is almost a self-portrait  - unassuming, quiet but brilliant. The text is terrific. I consider this book is a great companion to his teaching practice and all of his students should purchase it to augment their own class notes. The only fault I have is with the illustrations. Printed in black and white the photos Jonathan chose to include are as ethereal as Rothko's paintings. I would like to see a companion gallery of the original photo illustrations posted online so the detail can be extracted. These techniques are not for the beginner. With that said, I highly recommend obtaining a copy of this book to keep in your studio for the day you've learned enough to find it useful.

How to paint stained glass - stained glass painting techniques from an English stained glass studio - downloadable e-book and stained glass designs

Williams & Byrne

http://www.beautifulglasspainting.com/

This entry is not a book but rather a series of Ebooks available as PDF downloads to print out or view onscreen. Stephen Byrne and David Williams have a terrific model of both studio teaching and online distance learning. They address the fact that you really can't "get" glass painting without watching someone do it. To that end they augment their printed materials with online videos and maintain a blog where they answer any and all questions. Now that the greatest texts on glass painting are rapidly falling into obscurity I believe Williams & Byrne may be single-handedly keeping these techniques alive for the next generation. Worth the price of admission.

Silver Stain: An Artist's Guide

J. Kenneth Leap

http://www.blurb.com/b/1693981-silver-stain

I saved my book for last. It's self-published and available online only through  the "print on demand" bookseller Blurb. I wrote this with the glass painter in mind but it is not a beginner's volume. It grew out of  a series of experiments I made in preparation for a workshop at the American Glass Guild conference in Buffalo NY in 2010. It will show you, as far as is possible in photos, what one can expect the results of different stains are as applied to glasses of different chemistry. Yes, it is a book for geeks. I illustrated it with examples of my own silver stained artworks and when I wanted examples of historical panels to include I forged them. My author's page on Blurb (above) allows you to page through the entire book ot see if it's for you. I also made companion blog that contains all of the text and illustrations and I use it to continue to answer questions about silver stain that people send me. Here's the link: http://thepaintedwindow.blogspot.com/