Published: March 14, 2009 08:12 pm      

Art of Glass:

BLUEWELL — Homes stand out in different ways. Some are exceptionally large or display unusual architecture, but one Mercer County home has a special feature that truly makes it stand out: stained glass shutters.

The bears, eagles, crosses, angels and other subjects rendered in stained glass are just a sample of the work retired machinist Cecil E. Hash, 69, creates while enjoying his hobby. Churches and even a museum in Washington, D.C. have samples of his craft work, too.

For Hash, making works of art from stained glass and solder in his garage workshop is a pleasant way to pass the time.

“It’s just a great hobby I picked up when I got ready to retire,” Hash recalled as he pointed out the stained glass works in his home. Besides windows of varying sizes and subjects, he has created plaques for displaying deer antlers and other trophies collected while practicing his other hobby — hunting.

Hash lived north of Charlotte, N.C., before coming to Bluewell, but he is a native of West Virginia.

“I’ve always wanted to come back to West Virginia, but I didn’t want to work in the mines,” Hash said.

Before returning to his home state, Hash decided to learn the art of stained glass. To do this, he attended classes at Mitchell College in Statesville, N.C. There he learned how to create a pattern, cut and shape stained glass pieces and solder them into position. The process may look simple, but it takes skill, patience and the willingness to get a cut now and then. Little splinters of glass created by the cutting and grinding process often get in the fingers, he said.

The pattern over which the shaped pieces of stained glass are laid resembles a paint-by-numbers kit often given to children. Instead of showing where colors are to go, the numbers on each part of the picture help Hash keep track of where each piece goes after it is cut and ground. Since each piece must be shaped individually, they’re not interchangeable, he explained. Depending on the size, making a stained glass window can take 24 to 80 hours of work.

Hash finds inspiration for his work in stained glass patterns and photographs. Outside his home are stained glass shutters with eagles, deer and other subjects. He puts sealant around their edges so water cannot behind the panels and crack them when it freezes. Hanging over his carport is an MIA/POW symbol with the word “Veterans” added. One similar to a window now on display in Washington, D.C. is a symbolic representation of the World Trade Center after it was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. A pair of hands are cupped above the towers.

“That’s an angel taking souls up to Heaven,” he said.

But no matter what the size or the subject, Hash does not sell his work; instead, he gives them away.

“No, I don’t sell what I build. I would not feel right about it,” Hash said.

– Contact Greg Jordan at cowens@bdtonline.com