BURRILLVILLE – A Burrillville artist added some color and life to Jesse Smith Memorial Library this week with donation of a unique stained glass piece from his Harrisville-based studio.
Tom Randall, the owner of Fancy Pants Glass Studio, donated the artwork, titled “Le Petit Jardin Tropical,” depicting a bird of paradise plant and a red heliconia caribaea. The artwork now hangs in the library’s first floor Champlin Room.
It was an original and difficult piece to create – even for an artist whose stained glass work is all custom, and handcrafted with American materials.
“It’s my biggest one… my favorite one,” Randall told NRI NOW this week. “It’s the most complex.”
Randall said inspiration for the donated piece came to him while having breakfast at an inn in Key West, Fl., where he took a picture of a small garden. A glasswork creation replicating the scene was is done in brass, which is considered more challenging to work with than the more traditional copper or lead.
“Those spiky points of leaves were extremely difficult to cut,” he said. “Cutting the metal at those tight angles is almost unheard of. It takes forever.”
“Very few people use straight line metal work,” he added. “There’s not a curved line in it. It has to be very precise because the eye will see the slightest offset.”
A Chicago native who has worked in a Burrillville studio for more than two decades, Randall said the donation was something he’s considered for a long time. He creates contemporary and traditional stained glass windows – generally considered a high end product due to its handcrafted nature, intricate designs, and the skill required to create it – but keeps his work accessible in terms of both price and personal sensibility. The Fancy Pants logo features a man in a zoot suit.
“I wanted a name that would kind of convey it’s a fancy thing,” he said.
The studio also offers repair at an estimated cost of $35 per broken segment of glass.
Library Director Beth Ullucci said the artwork was placed in the Champlin Room so that light shining in from the Riverwalk would highlight the beauty of the stained glass.
“We are privileged to have such an exquisite piece of stained glass artwork to share with our community,” Ullucci said. “We appreciate Mr. Randall’s talent and generosity to the library.”
Randall said the piece would likely sell for around $2,500. The colors, he notes, are guaranteed never to fade.
“I wanted to give back to the community,” he said.
It’s a beautiful piece of artwork. You are very talented, Tom