When my son realized what I was capable of, in terms of stained glass, he demanded that I make something for him. We looked through a few pattern books and he chose a celtic knot dragon. I had him choose all the colors for it and it now hangs in his bedroom window.

This is the pattern after my son colored it how he wanted it to look

Cutting is almost complete

Dirty, but nearly done

The finished piece backlit by the sun

detail of the mouth

"Each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column, or cutting a piece of stained glass in the construction of something much bigger than ourselves."
Adrienne Clarkson

Celtic knot Shamrock

First piece I created in my own shop. Made this one for my darling wife Angie

How a former Mafia body guard and a Unicorn changed the way I view the world

My grandfather was a good man, tough as nails and with a temper to boot, but a good man nonetheless. He was born and raised in East Texas in a small town in Red River County called Coahoma. During his teenage years he ran away from home and made his way to San Francisco. There he learned how to box, among other things and procured a job as the bodyguard for the leader of the Longshoreman Union, a man by the name of Harry Bridges. I'm assuming that Mr. Bridges had ties to the mob because after a while, my grandfather started working for the Russians. I'm not sure how long he worked for them, but sometime later he moved his small family north to Washington.
    
After providing for his family for some time as an asparagus platation owner, he ventured into the world of stained glass art. He became quite good at it and something that started out as a hobby eventually turned into a business. Growing up as a child I often visited my grandparents in the summertime, never paying much attention to what my grandpa did for a living. Around the age of fifteen I started fostering an interest in what it was he did all day, marveling at the beauty that such a crotchety old man could produce. Seeing him work not only created an interest in glass art for me, but also helped me realize what a decent man my grandfather was. In addition to his colorful works of art, he was also a philanthropist, donating countless hours of his time and quite a bit of his own money to local children's organizations and hospitals. (For as long as I knew him, he had a big, white beard and was known all over the tri-cities area as Santa Claus).
     Long story short, I had the priviledge of apprenticing under my grandfather for a few short weeks during the summer of my 15th or 16th year. That was the last time I ever saw him, as my family moved down to Texas and he passed away just after I graduated high school. I am forever grateful to him for taking the time to teach his craft to a smart-assed teenager like me. I like to think that he would be proud of my work if he could see what I have accomplished thatnks to his tutelidge. And in case you are wondering, his business name was Unicorn Stained Glass. R.L. Warren will be forever in my memory, as a good man, my gradfather, Santa Claus, and a true artist.

My grandfather, R.L. Warren at far left during his Mafia days in SF