From the Archives: Finding joy in stained glass

For Windermere resident Don Davis, working with stained glass began as a simple hobby more than 35 years ago. “A friend invited me over while he was working on stained glass,” Don recalls. “He told me, ‘It’s a fabulous way to kill time. You’ll probably never make any money at it, but it’s interesting.’”

Don at work on a current stained glass project.

Although Don was buys with work at the time, his late wife, Jacqueline, fully embraced the craft. “She took lessons at Dutcher’s Paint and really took off with it,” he says. “She made biplane kaleidoscope - probably sold 150 or 200 of them. You’d spin the propeller and look through the tail end of the plane.”

Don uses his spare room in his Windermere apartment as his studio.

After Jacquline’s passing, Don found comfort in returning to stained glass. When he moved from Willowwood to Windermere in 2024, he had the chance to personalize his new space, choosing flooring, carpeting, and even designing a closet to store glass and supplies.

“Everybody at Windermere had been wonderful. It feels just like family here,” he shares.

Now, Don works on stained glass whenever inspiration strikes. “Sometimes it’s everyday for one, two, or three hours,” he says. One of his most popular projects, stained-glass butterflies, stand about three and a half inches tall. “A butterfly that size takes me about two and a half hours to make.”

Finding the right supplies, however, can be a challenge. “There are things you can’t find at Hobby Lobby, so I order most of my materials online,” Don explains. “Mind you, it’s expensive. The supplies fora large butterfly alone cost around $50, which can be a barrier for some people starting out.”

Windermere residents shared a few of the stained glass projects Don has created for them.

While his work is admired, Don prefers to create for the joy of it rather than for profit. “I make things I feel people would like. I don’t want to mass-produce pieces - I love the look on people’s faces when I give them one.”

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in a past issue of The Journal and is being shared from our archives. Source: The Journal, March 2025, Vol. 29, Issue 3.