Page 14-Wednesday, July 23, 1980-The Michigan Daily
GLASSMAKERS STARTED FROM SCRA TCH
Artists exhibit stained glassware

4

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By MARYEM RAFANI
Stained-glass artists Tim Osius an4
Tom Bantle are living proof that you
can makea living from your hobby.
Since 1976, the two men have
operated the Osius-Bantle Studio-a
large two-story complex the walls of
which are covered with stained glass
portraits, mirrors, pictures, and
signs-on the third floor of the Ann Ar-
bor Chamber of Commerce Building.
FOR THE FIFTH year, the
glassmakers are participants in the
Summer Arts Festival. "We feel it's a
good outlet to show our work," Osius
said. "It's a chance to try new things."
Osius and Bantle first started
working with stained-glass in 1914. "I
got the idea from my brother who had
been doing it for about five years,
Bantle said. "He was just walking down
the street one day and happened to
come across a piece of stained-glass
someone had thrown away. He became
interested, found out more about it, and
began making his own. Tom and I star-
ted making stained-glass designs in my

garage at home. We did it basically for already had-the financial burden was
ourselves whenever we got the time." just in keeping the supplies up."
At the time, Osius was working at Neither artist has had any formal
Veterans' Administration Hospital and training in stained-glass design.
Bantle drove a bus. "Basically, what I know are things that
THE TWO DID not need very much I've taught myself and things that my
,It's taken a combination of talent
and hard work to attain the quality
that goes into our work. I think that in
order to do a good job at this sort of
think you have to have some inherent
sense of color, line, and design.'
-Tim Osius, stained-glass artist

equipment, Osius explained. "All we brother taught me," Osius said.
really needed was glass, a glass cutter, Osius said he studied business ad-
and a soldering iron. We built the tables ministration in college and Bantle has a
ourselves. Most of the equipment we Bachelor's of Science Degree.


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FREE PARKING IN THE ADJACENT RAMP - WE WILL VALIDATE YOUR TICKET

"IT'S TAKEN A combination of
talent and hard work to attain the
quality that goes into our work," Osius
explained. "I think that in order to do a
good job at this sort of thing you have to
have some inherent sense of color, line,
and design. But you won't do good
quality work unless you work hard at
it."
Osius said he likes to create abstract
designs, but sinice most of his work is
"commercially oriented" he doesn't
have a great deal of freedom in
choosing his subjects.
"Our customers tell us the size and
type of window that they need and we
base the subject and design that we use
on what the window will be used for,"
he said.
STAINED-GLASS window design
requires two processes . the
glassmakers explained. First, the
design is sketched on paper. Each piece
of the design is cut out and used as sten-
cil to cut the glass. Putting the glass
together can be done in one of two ways.
The newer method was invented in the
late nineteenth century by Louis Tif-
fany. With this technique, the rim of
each piece of glass is wrapped in copper
tape and the individual pieces are
soldered together. In the older method,
once used in cathedrals, the metal fit-.
ting around the rim of the glass is
grooved. The joints of the individual
pieces are then soldered together and
putty fills up the emptyspaces.
"We also do sandblast etchings," said
Osius. "We take a big sheet of glass and
cover it with tape, making a design by
leaving parts uncovered. We then san-
dblast the uncovered parts and the
design attains a frosty appearance.
"The first recorded piece of stained
glass was found in 1055 at the Cathedral
Augsberg in Germany," added Bantle.
"In those days, stained-glass was used
primarily in cathedrals as a teaching
tool. The peasants were illiterate and
the windows were used to portray Bible
stories."
BANTLE CONTINUED, "The
changes that have occurred in stained
glass art through the centuries have
been mostly in its design, although the
process has also improved. At the end
of the nineteenth century Tiffancy
designed the Favrille method which
adds color to the glass ina molten state
instead of the detailed painting that
used to bedone."
Osius and Bantle said they also apply
their knowledge and interests in other
areas to their art. Bantle said, "My in-
terest in American Indianshas found
its way into things that I've done. Most
of iis done subtly, though. Basically
what we want to do is challenge the
viewer." "It is also an emotional
outlet," Osius adds.
The artists put about 50-70 hours a
week into the studio. "Sometimes we get
mental blocks on new ideas but it's rare
that we're both blocked at the same
time. Basically we just wait it out until
it goes away," Osius said.
"OUR FUTURE IN glass-making is
dictated to us by the public," he ex-
plained. "We're interested in more ar-
chitectural applications, though, and
we want to offer more complete
packages to our customers rather than
just designing the pieces."
Bantle added, "We would also like to
have a gallery show that is purely an
expression of ourselves and our full
talent. We want to be recognized as ar-
tists and to attain a level where we're
sought after for our artistic abilities."