The Stained Glass Quarterly Summer 2014 | Page 8

From the Editor’s Desk: A Very Busy Second Quarter Some issues of The Stained Glass Quarterly just fall into place. Everything just seems to fit. The articles are a perfect mix; the photos are excellent; pre-planning was flawless and everything flows together; during layout, the articles seem to jump onto the page; postwork is almost nonexistent; the PDFs run out without problems, and off it goes to press. It has been a very busy quarter since the last edition of this magazine. It makes me wonder what the next three months will be like. With any luck, they will be every bit as packed with more great things for the Stained Glass Association of America. In October, the Stained Glass School will be offering a workshop that teaches how to use neon lights to backlight stained glass. I’m really looking forward to this class; This issue was not such an issue. I’ve wondered for years how neon signs are made, and, while this class is not exactThe timing of this year’s Conference was ly about that, it will still necessarily cover such that it forced moving the start date for the basics — at least as far as I’ve wanted working on this issue back by almost a Deacon Richard H. Gross, MTS to know — of how it is done. It will also be month. But it was an amazing Conference. The dalmatic I am wearing in this picture was an ordination gift from the SGAA Board. very interesting to see the final product: the Everyone who worked on the Artists’ unit itself, and how it compares to other Retreat should be very proud. It was, in my lightbox-construction methods in terms of opinion, one of the best Conferences I cost and effectiveness. Hey — those LED units are great, but they have ever seen. It was a very different format from many aren’t cheap, and flourescent is cheap... but is often not all that Conferences, and I hope to see that format used again in the future. great. It will be nice to see another possible solution to the problem of artificial light in stained glass. We also rolled out a digital edition of The Stained Glass Quarterly beginning with this year’s spring edition; that, too, pushed deadOver the coming months, we will also see the initial implementalines for this issue back. You can find out more about the new digtion of sweeping changes to the membership categories in the ital edition and how to subscribe to it by visiting www.stainedgSGAA. David Judson and the Membership Committee have been lassquarterly.com, but, briefly, it’s something that we’re doing hard at work streamlining the categories and improving what the both to help overseas subscribers and potential subscribers be able Association has to offer. Look for more information on these to have an edition of the magazine without the added expense of exciting changes at www.stainedglass.org over the coming ever-rising postage costs and to meet a small but growing demand months. for publications in a digital format that can be read on computers, tablets, and smartphones. There is no plan to go to an entirely digFall will soon be upon us, and with its cooler weather will come ital format; the print edition will continue to be produced just as it also opportunities for even more new and innovative offerings has been for more than 100 years. from the Stained Glass Association of America. In many ways, what it means to be a stained glass practitioner is changing and Also, on a more personal note, I was ordained a permanent deaevolving, and with those advancements, the SGAA will be workcon