Very interesting stuff that your friend does in his stained glass works, Eagle.

I took a stained glassmaking course years ago and did create a large 24x36 inch piece with real,thick heavy lead channels and plaster grout. We were required to as part of our class project. Class was 14 wks. long. My piece was a water lily blooming in ice blue cave of water under a wave-like ceiling. I had even christened it "Spring Thaw".

I threw the whole piece away in garbage when I had to pack and move my home to a different provine. It was so heavy and dangerous to deal with. Heavy stained glass requires serious safe hangers from ceiling and anyway my lead channels were warped from my amateur hands.

I just have photos of that piece.

I know what you mean jaw-jaw. That's why I've taken evening art courses in a scattered way over last 20 years. No real path right now that I'm on and I'm wondering if I should put myself on a path to discpline myself to become better.

Right now, it's lack of large chunks of Muse time after work.

Yes, if I had all the time world to do creative stuff, it would be more of what I did try in past:

*painting and mixed media
*Western calligraphy... I'm losing my precision touch. this is calligraphy where you do NOT dip steel nip in inkpot. You paint the nib for even ink coating and then execute the letters with flourish..
*marbling/papermaking
*all of the above media/techniques into central works

No, computer graphics actually doesn't turn me on. I see it as more linear in process and technical. Yes, I know you can do calligraphic fonts with computer software, but honest, the tactile pressure of pen and ink flow to get nuanced shaded lines, thick and thin is more spontaneous and freeing than computer tools.

I guess I see it way too tied to my jobs where I've forced my arts,y English literature major mind to think more technically to create research databases, to troubleshoot technica problesm for user and with computer IT department folks. I love this aspect of my job but have learned that the computer and software restructures my brain to be less spontaneous ..otherwise I spend minutes/hrs. resolving a technical tiny problem to make something work or "look" good to me.