Laura Power
Northern News Services
Published Friday, September 21, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - "You look like you've been doing that for years," said Dorothy Ouellette from across the table.

She may have been flattering me about my glass-cutting skills, but she seemed more genuine than that and I took the compliment.

Rosalind Mercredi smoothes out a piece of glass on the diamond cutter at North Soul Glass Studio. - Laura Power/NNSL photo

We were sitting in North Soul Glass Studio - inside Down to Earth Gallery - being taught the what for and how to do it of stained glass art by Rosalind Mercredi.

Dorothy, Rosalind's mother, was in town for a visit and joined us for the mini-workshop. Though Rosalind says her mom has always been artistically inclined, it was her first time working with this medium, too.

"A closet artist is my mom," said Rosalind.

We were given scrap pieces of glass to practice using the glasscutters. Cutting shallowly into the scraps, it looked like we were making mere scratches. But then we added a little pressure with the pliers - crack! - and I was hooked. It's one of those random things that make you feel oddly satisfied, like popping bubble wrap or getting your eyebrows waxed.

When I had a circle cut - roughly, anyway - Rosalind showed me to the diamond cutter, which is a great little contraption that helps smooth the edges, much like sanding but with water. The water, she explained, helps avoid small pieces of glass flying about in the air. I guess the fabulous goggles I got to wear were for extra protection (and style).

As Rosalind and Dorothy worked away in the background, I drifted off into my own little compulsive world at the diamond cutter. I could have stood there all day, turning the glass circle back and forth, trying to make it perfect.

But the circle, she said, was just practice. She said she always gets students to do those first.

"When they do the other projects, it's never as hard as the rounds," she said.

She gave Dorothy and I the choice between a few simple patterns. I chose to make a six-piece feather while Dorothy went for a more detailed pattern.

"The hardest thing is picking glass," Rosalind said, though I was quick to pick pieces in my two favourite colours: green and purple.

We spent more than three hours sitting at that table going through the many steps. Who knew a simple decoration would require so much effort? From choosing the glass and pattern to cutting with special scissors and glass cutters, from the diamond cutter to the soldering gun, we chatted all afternoon about everything glass.

I learned that there are two types of stained glass art: lead came, which is the type used in church windows, and the copper foil method, which is what we were doing.

Rosalind said we were using this method because "You can get a lot more detail, a lot more finicky pieces."

I managed to cut my finger with one of these finicky pieces. My inexperience with a soldering gun led me to grab at the wrong parts of it, burning myself. My neck was sore from leaning over glass all afternoon. But with the help of some sexy yellow rubber gloves, I avoided any skin damage from the acid used to paint the metal black.

Apparently, people who are more experienced and less of a klutz than I, do less harm to themselves and are more prone to creating beautiful artwork. Rosalind, whose work is amazing at its worst, has been at it for 10 years now. She said she first tried it at the Yellowknife Guild of Arts and Crafts.

"When I first took the workshop, I just did it for fun," she said as we sat in her glass and equipment crowded room.

Years later, she is still passionate about glass art.

"You're capturing colour and light ...you're designing your own piece."

Now a month retired, Rosalind will have even more time for her artistic endeavours, which also include fused glass, jewelry making and using rocks and glass together. She already has a few workshops planned for the next little while, including a Christmas decoration-making workshop.

I'm in.

"So. How did I do?" I asked at the end of the day after taking off the gloves, apron, safety goggles and towel. I had produced a semi-presentable green and purple feather, which now hangs at my desk.

"You did really well," she said. "Not too many injuries, only one Band-Aid down ...we're OK."