Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nick Nguyen. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Nick thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My journey with stained glass began in 2021 when I found a workshop class at the Creative Arts Center of Dallas. What began as a date night activity evolved into an art form that I truly find joy expressing in.

At the beginning, I had so many ideas but hesitated quite often on actually creating: because of the design, because of the materials, because of the time/effort requirements. I’ve learned a lot by just actually doing; I began to understand why specific glass breaks a certain way. I’ve learned that temperature actually plays a huge role in your solder lines (and heat cracks). In my final art piece, my design choices (even the bad ones) showed a lot about my personal style (and how I could refine it). I began to admire the process. I’ve read articles about glass, and I’ve watched countless Youtube/Tiktok videos about it, but I didn’t sincerely understand the craft until I actually started creating.

I think the most essential skill for me when creating glasswork is to have patience—for your art and for yourself. I’ve found that my best work happens when it’s actually not forced. These concepts and ideas that come organically are the ones that I really enjoy transposing into glass. It’s giving yourself the room to grow creatively and allowing that artistic side of you to freely express itself!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

When I tell people that I do stained glasswork, I frequently get asked, “Oh, for like churches?” I’m all for a good origin story (the history behind traditional stained glass art is so colorful!), but I want to be part of this new generation of glass artists that shows the beauty of glass in a different light.

I’ve created romantic portraits for newlyweds. I’ve turned a classic painting into glass, but with a playful twist: instead of the girl, it’s my dog with a pearl earring! I can’t keep any plants alive, so I made a glass plant that I theoretically can’t kill. I’ve brought my art into the 3D space, creating glass origami cranes and even a shiny rupee! And I’ve made pieces inspired by the anime, video games, and pop music and culture that have so vibrantly colored my life over the years.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I create pieces that genuinely make me happy, and I do it with the mindset of, “hey I think this is really cool or cute!” and, “I would totally be very proud to have this in my home.” The inspiration for my art stems from pop culture and my own travel experiences. The main goal for my art is to breathe modern life into a classic medium. From movie scenes to origami cranes: each piece has a sentiment attached to it, and I want to tell its story through these glass lenses.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I get so many ideas for projects that I want to create in glass. If I could show you my iPad library, you’d see pages upon pages of drafts and sketches. A struggle that I often face is translating these concepts into glass and finding creative ways to turn my ideas into tangible art. Are the pieces too small? Do the color choices make sense? How do I tastefully capture the essence of a thirst trap in glass? I’ve 3D printed jigs and used my Cricut to help bring these designs to life, but even learning to use these machines presented its own challenges. But when they all happen to work in tandem, it truly is such a rewarding feat!

That’s the most rewarding thing about being a stained glass artist: you get to create these incredible windows into memories that shine so beautifully in the sunlight!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sandandstonecreative/
• Other: https://linktr.ee/sandandstonecreative