by Karen Reed
BUTTERFLY WINDOW
What a delight to create this butterfly window — I simply
loved every moment of it!
The project began when I was asked if I would be able to
make a stained glass window with butterflies in it. My answer
was a resounding, “Yes, I love butterflies!”
Soon thereafter, the client brought several boxes over to my
studio; the content was a collection of butterflies that had been
gathered and preserved by my client’s aunt prior to 1980. My
heart was fluttering, like a butterfly, when I saw the incredible
10
The Stained Glass Quarterly
beauty of the scientifically preserved specimens. I felt honored
just to look at them and knew at that point that these would have
to be painted butterflies.
My client chose 19 of her favorite butterflies for the window and entrusted me with her collection while I worked on the
window.
The design includes another favorite of my client, the heartshaped leaf and the vine of the Ipomoea. A fused, jeweled, secondary border frames the design and references a decorator tile