To hear Ben Benedict of Creative Glass tell it, nothing is more beautiful or worthy of its expense than a window or panel constructed of stained glass.
He's not alone in his conviction.Historically, mankind has valued the translucent beauty of colored glass since its discovery in Egypt around 4000 B.C. While largely opaque in the beginning, glass became a practical and decorative necessity for the ancient upper class: Caligula had glass windows in his palace.
Glass continued to evolve through the centuries until the early Christian church incorporated its translucent properties into architecturally grand but dark cathedrals. By the Gothic era - mid-12th through early 16 centuries - stained-glass windows had become a work of art, illuminating cathedrals with kaleidoscopic rays of biblical characters. Through the threat of extinction during English Puritan times to the resurgence during the Victorian revival, stained glass continued to thrill and inspire. Today, with few ecclesiastical commissions, artisans have turned to designing stained glass for businesses and homes.
By the time Benedict discovered stained glass in the early '70s, it had become a near staple of the hip"younger generation's" dwellings.
"I was playing with stained glass," Benedict says, "making terrariums and fun little items for friends, learning about the materials, how the medium worked." With a friend, Benedict sold the items through hair salons. "Finally, with a loan of $2,000 we were able to establish our own storefront in 1973." The company, Interior Landscapes, specialized in combining exotic plants with stained glass.
"We found in the course of the first several years that there was a much greater market for art glass than exotic plants, so we began emphasizing the stained glass," Benedict says. Eventually incorporating, they moved to the corner of West Temple and 700 South, establishing a shop and a retail outlet. This was 20 years ago. "It was then that we changed our name to Creative Glass Inc." Shortly thereafter, Benedict bought out his partner and all the investors, making him sole owner of the company. Several years ago, Benedict moved the store to a larger building at 57 E. 700 South.
"Back in the early days (of Christian churches) they didn't have anywhere near the variety of glass we have now," says Benedict. "If you take a look at the older cathedrals, there's just a few colors, mostly primary. The glass was actually made right at the site of the edifice. The glazing guilds were very, very tight, never sharing any information." Benedict says this is totally opposite of today's thinking. Most of the successful stained-glass retailers are actively involved in teaching people the craft. "There are many people that we've taught here in the store that are out competing against us now, and I support that 100 percent."
Benedict claims learning the art of stained glass is easy. Taking it to the level of an art form, however, comes with experience. "The thing that stained glass requires is time and patience. It's not a quick process. It's not something you can come in and pick up in two or three days." Even with all the new and improved tools available to the glass worker today, it's amazing how similar the procedure is to what glass workers were doing in the 12th century.
One obvious improvement is how glass is cut. With its small, shallow beveled wheel, the glass cutter only scores the glass. "Although you grab hold of glass and it feels solid, it actually responds as a super-cold liquid," Benedict says. "For all intents and purposes, we're breaking the surface tension of this liquid and then tearing it."
In the early days, the artisans would soak a string in sheep urine and lay it down on the glass where they wanted to make the cut. They would then run a hot poker along the string. This would fracture the glass. "Fortunately this has changed," Benedict says, laughing.
Another modern tool employed in stained-glass work for beveling is the belt sander. "Earlier, the artisan used heavy, flat steel or stone plates with abrasives against the glass. Today the carbide wheel or diamond dust cuts very fast and clean."
"Stained glass is the only medium I'm aware of that's dynamic," Benedict says. "If you look at a piece of sculpture, paintings or drawings, everything relies on reflected light. Stained glass doesn't. It has one feel with reflected light and a totally different feel with transmitted light. And the transmitted light value changes dramatically from low-light conditions to high-light. Panels of glass will change throughout the seasons because of the ambient colors it's picking up. For example, light will reflect off green grass differently than it does off of snow. In the fall colors are again different."
Benedict firmly believes every client should be given a product of greater value than what he or she actually spent monetarily for the piece. "If I'm charging someone $1,000, I want the panel or window I've created to add $1,500 to $2,000 worth of value to the property." This philosophy has endeared Creative Glass Inc. to the LDS Church, where Benedict and his people have constructed over 11,000 square feet of art glass on just one job. Other prominent people in the community have hired Benedict to create doors, windows, panels and skylights for their homes.
"Glass is fragile," he says. "I mean it can be broken very easily. And yet it's so durable. Everything that Creative Glass does has the life expectancy of at least a century. And if you look at some of the old cathedrals, we're talking multiple centuries."
Benedict plans to expand his company to produce larger studio pieces and continue his strong retail presence.
However, his philosophy of design and value will not change.