In June of 2005, I was contacted by an architect from the U.S. Air Force. He had come across this web site while searching for an artist or studio to design and fabricate a large stained glass installation for a new chapel being built at Buckley Air Force Base just east of Denver in Aurora, Colorado. It seemed that whatever "looking around" the Air Force intended to do had already been done when they contacted me, because I met with them later that day and was told that I had the commission at the end of that meeting. The only artistic direction I was given was [1] that the windows could have no religious icons as the chapel would have to be suitable for use by all religions, and [2] that the incorporation of military icons was also not suitable. Ten days later, I submitted twelve designs. The one chosen was the only design that was not totally abstract. Not only was it the only scenic design, I had decided to ignore the constraint concerning military icons and include a symbolic rendition of jets flying in formation. They loved the design and felt that the jets were abstract enough to be included. They also opted for the addition of a satellite, which I wasn't too sure of, so I convinced them to make it quite small. You can see the design below. You'll have to scroll sideways to see the whole design.

Most of the rectangular panels were seven feet high, making the whole artwork more than 20 feet high at the tallest point. Half of of the 44 panels would face south and half would face west, with the pulpit located in the corner of the building, centered between the stained glass. Just below is the architect's rendering of the building, into which they have incorporated the design of the south-facing stained glass windows.

After a long delay to work out the final measurements of the windows, the construction of the 44 stained glass panels took about 10 weeks. I could have employed workers to help with the fabrication of the panels, but once I got started, I determined that I could make the panels myself if I put in a lot of overtime. I averaged about 14 hours a day - six to seven days a week - for the 10 weeks it took to make the panels. It was exhausting, but I was able to keep to my self-imposed schedule and finish the fabrication of the panels by the beginning of December. The hardest part resulted from my decision to use very wide lead and zinc cames. I did this because when I see large stained glass artworks, I often feel that the leadlines are too thin for the scope of the artwork. For this project, I decided to make all of the straight lines in one inch and 1/2 inch zinc and all of the curved lines in one inch lead. This required developing new techniques for cutting and shaping these large cames as I had never worked with any cames of this size [the one inch lead came had to be made specially for this project). In the end, I knew that the extra effort was worthwhile, as the final look was just what I wanted to achieve. The installation was arduous, as the bottom of the artwork was over 16 feet off the floor of the chapel sanctuary. I hired two people to help with the installation, which was greatly facilitated by the use of a lift that allowed us to raise the seven-foot panels as much as 35 feet into the air in order to install them. The installation was completed on December 22nd, one day before my contract with the Air Force stated that I had to be done. The building dedication occurred in mid-February of 2006, and the Chapel Center has been open since then. The Air Force was extremely pleased with the final result, and I am currently working on another (albeit much smaller) commission at another Air Force Base. Final pictures of the stained glass can be seen below. They look a bit odd because I'm taking the photo from so far below the artwork.

It is always a special thrill to be able to work on large projects. They afford the opportunity to stretch myself as an artist and to show what I am truly capable of. This project for the Air Force is the largest that I have done to date, and I hope that it will lead to other large-scale opportunities. Because my choice to work alone on most of the projects that I do has resulted in not being offered large-scale commissions very often, I wish to express my gratitude and appreciation for the trust that the Air Force placed in me when they granted me the opportunity to do this wonderful stained glass commission. I hope that it is also a testament of my capabilities to others who may be considering me for large-scale stained glass projects. Update: The chapel received the Air force Top Design Award for 2006. Below is a photo of the exterior of the west wall at night.

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