Artist Profile: Sisters create repurposed glass art windows
Windows by BAGS began as a lark when three sisters decided to try their hand at making some glass art windows to hang outside their homes. After much trial and error, each sister had a custom glass picture that made them smile and which was then proudly hung outside on a porch or trellis for display. Thinking that was the end of the project, we were pleasantly surprised when friends and family saw these pieces and asked for custom-made pieces for themselves. And thus, Windows by BAGS was formed.
Our pictures are all created from repurposed materials. We begin with an old window or frame, and, after cleaning and prepping the frame and glass, we then create our picture or design on the glass. We use broken glass, wicker, leaves, rocks, and numerous other items in our designs. After we are satisfied with the design, we pour epoxy resin over the design to lock it down. Once the resin has set up, the picture is complete. Our signature for each of our pictures is a piece of jewelry, sometimes more than one piece. Some of the jewelry is easy to spot in our pictures, and sometimes it’s a bit of a hunt and seek to find the jewelry. This adds a bit of whimsy to our work, but also speaks to who we are as artists. We love finding old items such as brooches, earrings, etc. to add to our pictures. No two pieces are the same, even if we try to re-create a picture, it’s never quite like another.
We get our design ideas from things we love – nature, vintage things, and sometimes from customers. With three sisters each creating windows, it gives a wider variety of designs and pictures. We even try to create custom designs if asked. Sometimes customers have family heirlooms or items from special events they have asked us to create a window around. A couple of examples of that is a customer who asked us to make a picture of her pet goat, and another customer wanted us to use seashells from her travels in a picture. Both customers were very pleased with the end result.
We are often asked, what is Windows by BAGS? BAGS stands for “bad ass glass sisters,” and that answer usually elicits a smile or chuckle from customers. Even our family members have been bitten by the art bug, and sometimes we have our spouses, children or grandchildren working alongside us. More than anything, we feel like this venture serves as art therapy. We aren’t in this to have a business, we do it because we love it.
But what we find most interesting is that at the beginning of this venture, none of us would have described ourselves as artists, but we have been told repeatedly that what we make is art, so we are slowly getting used to the idea… which just goes to show that anybody can find artistic talent in themselves, even when they say they have none. Artistic talent just needs something that fires the imagination.
We hope you enjoy our pictures and to see more of our art you can find Windows by BAGS on Facebook.
-submitted by Windows by BAGS
