Janette Kimes and the beauty of stained glass

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  • Janette Kimes and the beauty of stained glass
    Janette Kimes and the beauty of stained glass
  • Janette Kimes and the beauty of stained glass
    Janette Kimes and the beauty of stained glass
  • Picture of Janette Kimes and some of her cut glass art work.
    Picture of Janette Kimes and some of her cut glass art work.
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What’s more beautiful than setting contrasting pieces of colored glass formed into a decorative or pictorial design into a lead framework like a mosaic? Janette Kimes has spent the last five to six years perfecting her technique and creating beautiful pieces that she mostly shares with friends and family

Once she decided she wanted to try her hand at stained glass she went to Hobby Lobby and picked up a book that she studied. When she felt she was ready she went back to Hobby Lobby and bought the needed supplies.

She does not use a pattern for her work. She gets an idea in her head and draws it on graph paper. She has never taken a class. She is completely selftaught.

She’s learned a few things along the way. Clear colored glass is the best for casting color. Once piece she created will cast light throughout the house. She likes the textured and marbled colors, however, she loves the way the clear casts the colors.

It is not a cheap hobby. A 12 x 12 piece of glass will range from $4.99 to $15.99 with red being the most expensive. Once you cut the pieces with a plasma cutter, the edges must be sanded. You then go around the edges with a foil which costs about $15 per roll.

You then solder the pieces together with a roll of solder at a cost of $5. She estimated that each piece is about $5 in solder, $25 in glass, 25 hours of labor and then the cost of a frame if you add one.

When asked how you get the pieces to fit together, she said, “You can grind some pieces to fit but none of my stuff is perfect.” She said once a piece is damaged, it is very difficult to repair.

She tried taking her art to a flea market but no one wanted to pay what it was worth so she didn’t try that again.

Janette stays busy outside during the warmer months but love to create during the winter months. She has made a number of pieces and mailed them to family. Her mom has a couple pieces of work as does her brother, Kenny. She has made some custom pieces and numerous letters for friends. Most of her work is flat but she has made a jewelry box and a couple other boxes as well as Christmas decorations. She is always willing to do custom pieces for people.

Janette has three children Angie lives in Pawnee City and will be teaching at Pawnee City High School this fall. Tina lives in Texas and Jake recently began an adventure and lives in Alaska.