Local artist expresses herself in stained glass

Kathy Juron, a local stained glass artist, and owner of Black Stump Stained Glass, says her most popular subjects for stained glass art work are Great Blue Herons and crabs. You may already be familiar with some of Kathy’s stained glass windows located in the Kilmarnock Seventh Day Adventist Church, the Mulberry Baptist Church in Emmerton, the White Stone Methodist Church or the stained glass cabinet doors in the lobby of the Rappahannock Westminster- Canterbury.

Kathy began her stained glass work in 1994 after taking a course offered by Ray Bridges. As a beginning artist she chose to make a stained glass window for her home. Kathy said she thought that by doing an entire window as her first project she would not only be challenged but get something that would be useful. Today this installed window serves as a reminder of how her new career began.

Before becoming a stained glass artist Kathy was a member of a local group called the Artisans. Her hobby was making baskets. Once introduced to the art of stained glass work Kathy realized she had found her passion. And, once Kathy’s friends saw her creations, she was on her way to turning a passion into a career.

In her studio, Kathy works on this Great Blue Heron glass design commissioned by a client for their new home. Kathy enjoys working closely with her clients. She first meets her clients to form a good understanding of their ideas. She encourages them to provide input to the design and selection of glass colors. Using her computer, Kathy creates the preliminary design and e-mails it to the clients for review. According to Kathy “I encourage my clients to provide input during the design phase because these are fresh ideas which create a new learning experience for me.” The design complexity of creating stained glass art increases the cost because of the additional labor required.

In addition to being a stained glass artist Kathy enjoys creating pet portraits using pastel paints as the medium. Exhibits of Kathy’s work can be found at the Rappahannock Center for the Arts and The Hang Ups in Kilmarnock.