Above:
Judith Schaechter
Joan ofArc,
2007
sand-blasted and
engraved stained glass
35
X
31
in.
Right:
Judith Schaechter
The Cold Genius,
2009
sand-blasted and
engraved stained glass
25 X43
in.
Describe your work: I
d o n ’t,
i f I can g e t a w a y w ith it. B u t if
I m u st, I sa y “ fig u ra tive stain ed
glass w in d o w s ” - m o stly o f
w o m e n g o in g th ro u g h e m o tio n -
al tran sitio n s. P e o p le seem to
n o tice th e su b ject m atter th e
m ost. I do n o t co n sid e r m y
w o r k d ep re ssin g in a n y w a y
w h a tso e v e r!
Describe your process:
I fu m -
b led m y w a y th ro u g h a lo n g
jo u rn e y o f sp o n tan eo u s d is-
c o v e ry , trial and e rro r, m o stly
erro r. I am co n sta n tly e x p e ri-
m en tin g w ith w h a t stain ed
glass can do.
Pilchuck connection:
I h ave
tau gh t th ere on a n u m ber o f
o ccasio n s and w a s also
a H a u b erg F e llo w . I lo v e
P ilch u ck .
Biggest artistic influences:
In
o rd er: m y m o th er and fam ily;
glass itse lf; th e In tern et.
W hat you like most about
glass:
G lass is a cru e l and b ru tal,
u n fo rg iv in g b itch go d d e ss. It is
so b e a u tifu l it’s hard n o t to
tran sfo rm it fo r th e w o rse . P lu s,
it’s ob d u rate and resists p h y si-
cal ch an ge. I ap p reciate th e
fa ct th a t it m akes fo r m axim um
cre a tiv e stru gg le.
Biggest challenge with glass:
T h e en d less te ch n iq u e req u ired
to m ake a n y th in g th at lo o k s
g o o d to m e.
W orking on now:
I am m akin g
10 o r m o re w in d o w s to b e in -
stalled in th e o ld E astern S tate
P e n ite n tia ry in P h ilad elp h ia
[fo r an o p e n in g in M a rch 2012].
How you’d like to be remem-
bered:
A p o lo g ie s fo r m y gian t
eg o . I w o u ld lik e to b e rem em -
b ered as so m e o n e w h o m ade a
n o tab le co n trib u tio n to th e h is-
to r y o f th e ir m ed iu m , so m eo n e
w h o w o r k e d h ard to m ake b e a u -
tifu l and m o v in g stain ed glass
w in d o w s .
042 american craft fcb/m arn
G a la x y
and
Face
photos: Michael Koryta /
H im
photo: Norman Watkins /
H im
and
Face
photos: Courtesy of Goya Contemporary
