Voices Behind the Glass XIII
- Roots of Humanity Foundation
- 7 days ago
- 5 min read
An Inside Look at the Sphere of Light from One of Its Visionary Creators
Welcome back to our Artist Interview Series, where each month we spotlight one of the talented artists bringing the Sphere of Light to life. Today we’re excited to introduce Meg Laywer who is one of the glass pickers and creators for this special space.
About the Artist
Can you share a bit about your background and how you got started in stained glass? My name is Meg. I have always loved drawing, movies, and music. I have mostly loved being inspired by the world around me. I got into this job because I was inspired by my brother, who has been doing this for a long time. He is someone I look up to a lot when it comes to art because of how talented he is and the way he understands how things work to make them beautiful.
I had been in England for a while, and my brother asked if I wanted to apply at the studio since I needed a job. I said sure, it sounded great.
What inspires your artistic style and approach to working with glass? Originally, I was not planning on being here for very long, but the more I worked with glass, the more I realized how much I loved it. It is such an interesting art medium. It is very niche, and not a lot of people do it, so there are a lot of things that are not really set in stone.
There is a lot of problem solving and working together as a team, and I really liked that aspect of it. I also loved the artistic side, because what you can do with glass is something you cannot really do with other mediums like painting, drawing, or even ceramics. It is very different, but also kind of the same.
Picking out glass is really strange. It feels like you are taking a collage of images and putting them together to make a painting. You are not doing every single brushstroke yourself. You are taking a bunch of things that already exist and combining them. It is difficult, but it is fun, and I really like it.
What is different about glass compared to other mediums? When I am selecting glass, I like to make things as colorful as possible. With glass, you have to be very direct with your color choices or it does not come across as well. You really have to punch in the color.
I like to go very colorful, especially when I am doing leaves. Leaves can be hard to make interesting because they are mostly just green. I look at the image and try to find the undertones in the green, whether it leans more blue or more yellow. Then I find glass that matches those undertones and use that to make the green stand out.
I usually work with highlights. If it is a more yellow green, I will use yellow for the highlight. If it is darker, I might use purple or dark blue. It makes everything more interesting and a lot more colorful.
Do you have a favorite technique or process in your work? Before I started selecting glass, I really liked building. It is fun to do with your hands, and I love working with my hands. Building feels like a mental game because you have to plan ahead. You have to think about the easiest way to place each piece and how the lead will go in.
As I started selecting glass, I realized I liked that even more because there is a lot more artistic freedom. I get to look at all the glass we have. When you are building a window that you did not select glass for, the glass can feel kind of nameless, and you do not notice it as much.
When selecting glass, you see so many different types, and they are all beautiful. You have so many colors on your palette, and it is really fun to see how diverse everything is.
About the Sphere of Light
What does it mean to you to be part of the Sphere of Light project? Being part of the Sphere of Light feels like a connection to all the artists who have done stained glass before. It is such a niche art form, and when you meet someone else who does stained glass, it is a very specific thing you can connect over.
I love building the windows because it makes me think about how far technology has come, and yet how much has stayed the same. Stained glass has been done in pretty much the same way for hundreds of years. Seeing how it was done in cathedrals, churches, and older homes is really interesting, especially when you look at the patterns and styles across different centuries. It feels like a connection to a different time and also a connection to people who do this work now, all across the world. It makes me feel really connected.
What challenges have you faced while creating your work for this project? One of the biggest challenges for me has been learning how to select glass. I started learning during the skylights, figuring out how to create depth instead of just placing color into small spaces. It was a very steep learning curve at first. There are so many glass types that it can feel overwhelming because there are so many choices. As I became more familiar with different types, colors, and opacities, and whether something is more transparent or opaque, it became easier to make images and emotions come across the way I wanted.
Another challenge is working with another person on the same window. Sometimes one section looks very different from another, and we have to figure out how to make it feel unified. At the same time, it is really fun to work together to solve those problems. I would not want to do this by myself. That would be impossible.
Personal Connection and Impact
What emotions or messages do you hope people will take away from the Sphere of Light? I hope people see the windows and feel a greater appreciation for the world as a whole. You can look at a photograph of a place and think it is beautiful, but seeing it translated into stained glass can be very powerful.
Knowing how many hours and how much labor went into creating it helps you feel connected to the people who made it. I hope that seeing all the work that has gone into the Sphere of Light helps people feel more connected and appreciate the world around them more.
When you look at a window like this, especially the way the water is shown, it makes you realize how beautiful water really is. The movement, the colors, and the details are things you may not notice until you see them represented in this medium. Then you realize how beautiful it is and wonder why you never noticed it before.
If you could describe the Sphere of Light in three words, what would they be? Diverse. Creative. Educational.
Can you share what you are currently working on? Right now, I am picking out vinyl stickers and looking at the window pattern to see which pieces are missing and which have already been completed. I find the missing pieces and then look directly at the window to see what still needs attention.
Most of the larger elements are finished, like the main forms, leaves, flowers, and small animals. What I am focusing on now are the background areas, the darker spaces in between that you might not even notice at first. I am making sure those areas still look intentional and come together nicely.
Don't forget to join us next month as we conintue to learn more about the hands shaping the SOL. You can also see the current progress of the building HERE.
Until next time,
Roots of Humanity
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