Reported by Erica Goss-Peters
 

This October marked the 25th year since Tom Stanton stumbled across the old post office at Holy City. A stained-glass artist and blown glass sculptor, Tom was working at a small studio at the corner of Summit Road and Old Santa Cruz Highway when he found the building that has housed his business, Holy City Art Glass, for the past quarter of a century. To celebrate this milestone, Tom and his fellow Holy City artists held public demonstrations of their art glass techniques during October.

Tom Stanton has created art works for local businesses such as Carrie Nation’s in Los Gatos and Khartoum’s in Campbell, as well as for celebrities George Lucas and Linda Ronstadt. He is currently working on several major stained glass pieces. One shows a view of San Francisco’s Presidio and another is based on the lost city of Atlantis. In addition, he and his assistants are busy creating one-of-a-kind holiday pieces for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

A visit to the Renaissance Faire when he was young sparked an interest in stained glass. Tom earned a degree in art and design from San Jose State University, and soon found a glass maker who took him on as an apprentice. After a few years, Tom went out on his own, creating his own stained glass works in the Santa Cruz Mountains. About ten years ago, Tom added blown glass sculptures.

Tom has been successful he says, because of his willingness to combine fine art and commercialism. He has been able to balance creating fine art with an ability to reach the wider public. Last year, he created “Holy Rollers,” art glass marbles that took their name from Holy City, and was reviewed in the West section of the San Jose Mercury News. The article was titled “Tom Stanton Finds His Marbles.”

Being an artist gives Tom the freedom to spend time with his family and participate in the community. He and his wife Maureen are the parents of three children: Brian, 16, Sally, 15, and Andrew, 11. Tom hosts glass-blowing demonstrations for local schools and coaches the high jump at Fisher Middle School. He also teaches adult education classes in stained glass, bead making and fused glass jewelry. He is on the scholarship committee of the San Jose State Art and Design Alumni Association and was a member of the Mountain Art Guild.

Tom’s influences include one of his professors, Will Nelson, a mountain resident who died last year, and John Pugh, the muralist featured in September’s MNN artist profile.

A stained glass piece begins with a series of sketches and watercolors. After the client approves the design, Tom selects the glass and creates a full-sized pattern on paper. He then cuts the class using the pattern and puts it together using lead or copper foil.

Blown glass sculptures begin as a piece of glass that is heated in a 2100-degree oven. The artist blows the glass to the desired size, re-heating often during this process. The glass is then put into a mold, quickly shaped, and removed from the mold. Extra details are added with powdered colored glass. This process must be executed with precise timing to prevent the glass cooling too quickly and cracking.

Tom creates art glass year-round, with five special holidays: Mother’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter. You may have seen his sign at the Redwood Estates turnoff. Next time you drive by, stop in and say hello.