PHOTO (Above): Brenda Helton creates stained glass from the comfort of her Kremmling home

PHOTOS (Above): a carousel horse, a Native American piece and a squawking parrot come to life in the sunlight

Art glass or stain glass as it has been known for centuries is a form of art that has been on the rise in the past 30 years. My first visions of this remarkable artwork were as a little girl. I can still remember the sunlight coming through the brilliant colors of stain glass windows that made their way by each set of pews in the church. Little mosaic pieces of colored glass joined together to tell a story.

Brenda Helton has found the beauty of creating stain glass images to be one of the most rewarding interests in her life. It has become her passion over the years, giving her great pleasure and has been an added source of income.

Living in a small part of the Town of Kremmling, Brenda has a room built onto her home with windows surrounding a small workshop – a workshop of beautiful color. Here Brenda creatively masters the art of stain glass.

Her interest came about unexpectedly when she lived in Texas. A couple owning a stain glass shop had been looking for a part time worker until they could find a stain glass artist to fill a much needed position for their busy shop. A few months passed and Brenda asked the owners if they would be willing to teach her how to work with the glass. She loved the beautiful colors that reflected from each work of art glass that was created. The owners agreed and she worked as an apprentice for two years.

It can be a consuming passion to take these small pieces of glass and join them to become something so rich and beautiful. Often times Brenda will work on a stain glass creation and come upon something that just won’t work. She said there are no rules or guidelines and often times she finds herself waking in the middle of the night with a solution—getting right into the shop to see if her remedy will work. She works with all kinds of glass—Victorian, prism, beveled, granite (rough on one side), and water glass having waves in it. Each glass has its own character to the art work it unfolds as pieces are joined. Her favorites are of wildlife and the Native American Indian.

Brenda said, “Glass doesn’t have to be in direct light to show its beautiful colors”. Once, Brenda gave an octagon-shaped stain glass to a friend who had been sick. The friend found a window to place it in and really did not think much more about it, until one afternoon. The next day, the friend called Brenda and asked her to come over to her house at exactly 4:15. Brenda, arriving just a few moments before stood in amazement along with her friend as the sun shone through the art glass, reflected off a mirror down a hallway, reflected again off the nearby bedroom mirror. The beautiful reflections bouncing off one another lasted for 3 minutes before the sun vanished. Her friend could only then appreciate the colors and the joy her gift brought to her.

Today you’ll see beveled art glass in entryways of new homes, in large finished attic windows, bathrooms and an increasing amount in restaurants, showcasing their logos or adding warmth and color to the to the ambiance the room. Brenda’s art glass can be seen in some of the local places in town—Los Amigos Restaurant and The Fishing Hole, and she has been commissioned to create local ranches’ branding logos. She looks forward to many of the local art shows coming up during the summer. She’ll be heading to the Business Exhibitor and Craft Fair at the City of Thornton on May 17 and has been invited to the Farmers Market in Vail this summer. More than anything, Brenda credits her community of Kremmling for their support. If you want to learn more about the art of stain glass, just give Brenda a call at 970-724-1261 – plan on talking a while – her passion grows on you and you’ll want to get started right away.