Brian Canfield: An Unstoppable Force in the Stained-Glass World

 

Brian Canfield: An Unstoppable Force in the Stained-Glass World

            “Know your limits and don’t wear yourself down. I got shingles at 39!” said Brian Canfield, in the first ten minutes of one of the most motivational talks I have been to in a long time. His talk, hosted by California State Fullerton, was hosted on zoom on February 18th this year. The zoom chat was bursting with so many compliments that it was hard to keep up. But just who is Brian Canfield? Well, he is a stained-glass artist that is constantly breaking the mold of your stereotypical “starving artist.”

            In addition to being an artist, Canfield is a draftsman, a business owner, a professor, a veteran, and a caring husband. He runs the highly successful Bera Stained Glass Studios down in San Marcos, California, known for their beautiful productions of stained and faceted glass.


Calming of the Sea. Stained Glass. 8 ft. x 5 ft.


            His favorite tool is the badger-hair brush, his most used tool is the chopstick, and his favorite kiln is a front-loading convection oven. In terms of his stained-glass philosophy, Canfield sees the creation process as a joint effort with sunlight itself. Hence, he argues that stained-glass should be institutionally accepted as fine arts. Another for its acceptance among the high arts is that, when interacting with sunlight, glass —and specifically Brian’s glass work—allows the viewer to have a transcendental and spiritual experience.

            His pieces can carry an infinite amount of emotional charge for the individual experiencing them, and they also have deeply affected the creator himself. Unknowingly, he created the stunning glass installation shown below for the church that eventually held his mother-in-law’s funeral services. “I was able to experience [the installation] as a viewer (…) and every time I see it, I feel [the tears] welling up in me.” When your own art can move you in such a way, you’ve pretty much made it.


 

Rose Window. Stained, Flashed & Fused Glass. 8 ft. diameter.


            But working so hard can definitely take its toll. When I asked him if he ever took time off, he replied: “No, I wish! [But] we have a vacation everyday really.” He added that he has 160 panels in his studio that are being worked on at the moment, which exemplified just how busy life inside Bera Stained Glass Studios can get.

The quality of Canfield’s glass work is not only unmatched, but also inspirational. Despite being such a busy person, he took the time to advice students on the best strategies to make it as an artist in the 21st century, which shows just how caring he is to stained-glass newcomers. Be sure to check out Bera Stained Glass Studios at their website beraglass.com. 

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