The "Glass Hawaiian Shirt" Story
It was an ordinary day. We were shopping in Maui. That's in Hawaii. Probably my favorite island in Hawaii. They have shopping malls just like we do. Went in to this one gallery and saw something I really liked. A stained glass Hawaiian shirt. It was about 16" high and 20" across the sleeves. Bright colors. Neat flowers. The whole deal. It was gorgeous. And it looked just like an Hawaiian s
hirt. I had to have one to hang in our house. I checked the price. $700. OK, maybe I don't need one for the house. But wait. I do stained glass myself. I'll make one. It really wouldn't be right to take a photo of it there in the store, would it? So I had someone else do it. A week later when we got home I decided I was going to make my own. I first drew my pattern and then made the design I liked. How about a Hawaiian flower and some leaves from the plant. The design looked great. I took my pattern to a former student, Mike Bovie, who has a glass studio near me and purchased the glass and other needed items for the window. To make the window you must cut the glass, grind the edges, wrap the edges with a copper foil tape, assemble the window on your pattern, solder the pieces together, finish the outside edge and use a patina on the solder to darken the bright silver color. Boy, did it look neat. How about one that has a toucan on it. Looked neat. How about one with seashells. Looked neat. how about a tiki hut with an island and palm tree. Really neat! It went on an
d on. I finally had a series of 12 shirts designed and made. I displayed a few, but didn't have enough window space for all of them. And it started to get rather expensive to make all these. Maybe I should sell them at the gallery in Stone Harbor, New Jersey where I sell other stained glass pieces. Carol and I decided to take a weekend trip to visit my cousin who lives in Stone Harbor and tak
e the shirts along with us. Packed them carefully and headed to the shore. After visiting with Roy and Susan for a while, I took the shirts to the gallery to show them. "Don't think they would sell here," was the response I got. OK. I drove through town and there on the corner of the main street was a new shop. All stained glass products. Perfect! I parked and took one into the shop. I met with the owner and showed her my window shirt and she exa
mined it closely and asked where else I sell them. I told her, "No where, but I would like to try to sell them in your shop. Would you take them on consignment?" She thought for a while and finally said, "No, I don't want to take them on consignment...." I'm sure she read the disappointment on my face, "but I'll write you a check for all of them." WOW!!! "You may want to see the rest first," I said to her. "How many do you have?" she responded. "I brought ten with me," I told her. "Go get all of them. If they're as nice as this one there will be no problem." She wrote me a check for all of them on the spot. I headed back t my cousin's house and when I arrived I told everyone we were heading out to dinner. My treat!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Click on the images to see them larger. Interested in the shirts, email me at lcwoods@verizon.net
hirt. I had to have one to hang in our house. I checked the price. $700. OK, maybe I don't need one for the house. But wait. I do stained glass myself. I'll make one. It really wouldn't be right to take a photo of it there in the store, would it? So I had someone else do it. A week later when we got home I decided I was going to make my own. I first drew my pattern and then made the design I liked. How about a Hawaiian flower and some leaves from the plant. The design looked great. I took my pattern to a former student, Mike Bovie, who has a glass studio near me and purchased the glass and other needed items for the window. To make the window you must cut the glass, grind the edges, wrap the edges with a copper foil tape, assemble the window on your pattern, solder the pieces together, finish the outside edge and use a patina on the solder to darken the bright silver color. Boy, did it look neat. How about one that has a toucan on it. Looked neat. How about one with seashells. Looked neat. how about a tiki hut with an island and palm tree. Really neat! It went on an
d on. I finally had a series of 12 shirts designed and made. I displayed a few, but didn't have enough window space for all of them. And it started to get rather expensive to make all these. Maybe I should sell them at the gallery in Stone Harbor, New Jersey where I sell other stained glass pieces. Carol and I decided to take a weekend trip to visit my cousin who lives in Stone Harbor and tak
e the shirts along with us. Packed them carefully and headed to the shore. After visiting with Roy and Susan for a while, I took the shirts to the gallery to show them. "Don't think they would sell here," was the response I got. OK. I drove through town and there on the corner of the main street was a new shop. All stained glass products. Perfect! I parked and took one into the shop. I met with the owner and showed her my window shirt and she exa
mined it closely and asked where else I sell them. I told her, "No where, but I would like to try to sell them in your shop. Would you take them on consignment?" She thought for a while and finally said, "No, I don't want to take them on consignment...." I'm sure she read the disappointment on my face, "but I'll write you a check for all of them." WOW!!! "You may want to see the rest first," I said to her. "How many do you have?" she responded. "I brought ten with me," I told her. "Go get all of them. If they're as nice as this one there will be no problem." She wrote me a check for all of them on the spot. I headed back t my cousin's house and when I arrived I told everyone we were heading out to dinner. My treat!! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - Click on the images to see them larger. Interested in the shirts, email me at lcwoods@verizon.net
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