Karen Seymour refused to pay $1,400 for a glass table. After reading the price tag, she said, "I can do better than that." And so she did. Seymour took the skills she learned in her high school stained-glass class and immediately began her lofty first project: a koi pond-inspired table. She revealed her work to family and friends, who were immediate fans. Soon after, a local glass store asked her to instruct a class. From then on, she was hooked. FINDING INSPIRATION FROM NATURETo finance her newfound stained-glass venture, Seymour sold her 16-year-old computer-training business. The tediousness of glass designing makes it difficult for her to find time for anything else, she said.Seymour specializes in intricately designed, multi-faceted garden tables. Each table consists of 100 to 500 pieces of glass, with each piece taking 10 minutes of construction time. It may take months before a table is complete."I try to make art that is a part of people's gardens," Seymour said. "I like art that is colorful, with a definite presence. I want people to spend hours sitting at my tables."Inspired by naturalistic and Asian art, Seymour puts a little bit of herself in each design. "Sometimes the glass speaks to you," she said. "One morning I woke up and a planet design popped into my head. Another time, I found this amazing piece of green glass that reminded me of a turtle shell; it inspired my coral-reef design." She was also inspired while reading a book on Chinese opera, from which she created an open-winged crane design with waves and the sun. A TEACHER OF THE TRADEEach art piece Seymour creates is unique because every piece of glass is different. At a glass manufacturer in Oregon, one method of glass manufacturing involves taking a big pot of molten glass, throwing it onto a big table and placing it in a cooling oven. This process creates sheets of glass with colorful and intricate shapes and swirls. Prices range range from $25 to $40 per square foot.Seymour's do-it-yourself book, "Glass by Glass," includes 14 table patterns with a disc that allows you to print out each design and tape the pattern together. Her second book, "Garden Light," will feature more table designs, birdbaths and solar-powered garden lanterns. It even gives instructions on how to construct the solar light bulbs.With help from her van, Sprinter, Seymour also teaches traveling stained-glass classes from Olympia to Mount Vernon. The basic instruction is $65, and it includes glass, grout and use of all the supplies. Because making an actual table is very time-consuming, everyone leaves with a "mini-tabletop" that can be used as a coaster. She also offers coaching classes for those who want to embark on big projects. This class is $30 and doesn't include the glass. A PERSONAL 'ROADIE'Also helping with the traveling glass class is her husband, Dick Seymour. She jokes, "He is my personal roadie." "I load and unload the van and try not to break things," he said. "I'm also the 'booth babe.'"Dick Seymour doesn't design or create glass designs, but he helps by hand-building the circuit cords. "It's thrilling. I'm proud and pleased to have this going on in my life," he said. "I'm happy as a clam." Because their house is home to glass addicts, they converted the dining room into a studio with tables and lanterns galore. "I even put stained glass in all my upstairs windows," Karen Seymour said. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 26 and 27, Karen Seymour will showcase and demonstrate her work at the Artisans' Gallery at 7525 41st Ave. N.E.[[In-content Ad]]
