Judson Studios

Follow me: Turn, turn, turn, tap, tap, tap, cut, cut, cut, and glaze!

With the surging popularity of stained glass and a vogue for all things vintage, Tiffany-style glass returned to favor in the decorating world; original pieces became highly collectible. For Judson Studios, this meant a renewed demand for ornate patterns and opalescent glass. Walter Judson compared the two domes created in 1971 for San Francisco’s Stanford Court hotel on Nob Hillone in the lobby, one over its dramatic motor courtto big Victorian lampshades. All of a sudde...n, we are doing that type of glass in great amounts, he noted. In later years, the hotel lobby’s historic murals, potted palms, stuffed sofas, and Oriental rugs were replaced with beige walls and contemporary furnishings. But the intricate, interlocking triangles and diamonds of the domes, in shades of opalescent green, brown, and beige glass, continued to inform the decor of the entire hotel. See and read more in our new book Judson: Innovation in Stained Glass by @ddjudson and @steffienelson and published by @angelcitypress. Did you enjoy this sneak peek? Pick up your copy today through the LinkTree in our bio. See more

Wayback Wednesday: Judson Studios was commissioned to produce 30,000 pounds of seventeen colored glass pieces for the atrium fountain of the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah Burj-al-Arab in Dubai. We worked with WET, the L.A. firm behind the famed Fountains of Bellagio at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas. See and read more in our new book Judson: Innovation in Stained Glass by David Judson and Steffie Nelson and published by Angel City Press. Purchase your copy today and gift one to a friend through https://www.angelcitypress.com/products/juds

Repost from Laurie Frick: One of several monster kiln fired glass panels @judsonstudios is busy producing for a project in West Hollywood. Fresh out of the kiln today! A 60 ft stack of these are going on a building near Santa Monica Blvd and Fairfax based on traffic data at that very corner - because people in LA obsess over traffic.

Official Announcement! Judson Studios: Stained Glass from Gothic to Street Style is on view at Forest Lawn Museum Glendale from April 28September 12, 2021 and includes nearly 100 original stained glass artworks, preparatory drawings, watercolors, and archival photographs as well as collaborations with contemporary artists that redefine traditional stained glass art. The exhibition brings together two of Los Angeles’s preeminent, century-old cultural institutionsJudson Stud...ios and Forest Lawn Museumfor a show that shines a new light on the contemporary and historic practices of stained glass through the pioneering work of Judson Studios. Forest Lawn Museum’s capacity is limited to 15 people per half-hour (this number will change as LA County Covid protocols change). For your free reservation, email [email protected] with the following information: first and last name, number of people in your party, date/time of your visit. You will receive a reply within 24 hours. Reservations can also be made by calling 323-340-4782. Walk-up visitors without reservations are welcome, however, they may be turned away if the museum is at capacity.

Getting started on a new project with Laurie Frick! These panels will be monsters, the one pictured above is 93’ x 40’

Good news: Forest Lawn Museum is getting ready to reopen (!) and will debut the exhibition Judson Studios: Stained Glass from Gothic to Street Style. Exhibition date: April 28 to September 12, 2021.

Final inspection with David and Indre on this scene for our monastery project in Wyoming!

(Copper Foiling pt. 2 of 2) We recently got to work on a set of clear, textured, copper foiled windows for a residential commission, and wanted to use it as a glimpse into how these types of panels are made. The next step (after the glass is cut and foiled) is to solder all the visible copper foil in a process called sweating or floating. This type of soldering allows maestro Alejandro to have a high level of control in varying the line width, which results in a more organic ...aesthetic. Afterwards, we take it up to the easel to see it in natural light for the first time! See the full process, including pt. 1, on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/judsonstudios This client originally came to us with a reference image, which we re-configured to define the glass shapes and position the solder lines. That design was in turn used as the template for the glass cutting process which proceeded this video. Design by Reed Weston Bradley and craftsmanship by Alejandro.

Join the Stained Glass Association of America and craftsman/designer Ted Ellison (Thu, March 18, 2021 3:00 PM 4:30 PM PDT) as he brings a historical perspective to the introduction of mosaic to the buildings of progressive American architects around the turn of the twentieth century in his lecture From Hand to Hearth: The Untold Story of American Glass Mosaic Fireplaces. Link to purchase tickets and register for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/from-hand-to-hearth-the-untold

One hundred years ago today, Judson Studios officially became a California Corporation. While the company was initially founded in 1897 by William Lees Judson and three of his four sons as the Colonial Art Glass Company, his son Walter would later incorporate the business in 1921. There were a lot of ups and downs in the earliest days of the studio, and it was even dormant while Walter went back to design school, but the roaring twenties strengthened its prospects early on, a...nd we gladly carry the torch a century later. Photo 1: Lawn bowling in front of the studio; circa 1928. From left: John Lionel Judson, Horace T. Judson, Walter H. Judson, the incorporator of Judson Studios; and Bill Rundstrom. Photo 2: Our historic 100 year old building in the Garvanza District of Highland Park, with the tear drop lawn in the foreground that the founders bowled on 93 years ago. Photos 3-9: A sampling of our business cards through the years.

Preliminary restoration surveys [of Wilshire Boulevard Temple] in 2001 revealed a near-certainty that the temple would lose its neo-Gothic rose window in an earthquake. As it turned out, this would be a major force driving the building’s $47.5 million restoration and renovation. When the funding came through, the committee, headed by renowned architect Brenda Levin, asked [Judson Studios] to remove the rose window over the temple’s Wilshire Blvd entrance. After years of plan...ning and preparations with the Levin team, the window was one of the first things to be removed from the project site. The stonework around the panels of the window had to be completely dismantled and re-engineered with seismic retrofitting before refitting it in place. In total, we restored nearly two hundred stained glass panels at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. See and read more in our new book Judson: Innovation in Stained Glass by David Judson and Steffie Nelson and published by Angel City Press. Pick up your copy today: https://www.angelcitypress.com/products/juds Photo 1: The restored rose window at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, Los Angeles. Photo by Tom Bonner Photography Photo 2: Hector Vargas checks the sizes of restored panels for the rose window at Wilshire Boulevard Temple; 2011.

(Copper Foiling pt. 1 of 2) We recently got to work on a set of clear, textured, copper foiled windows for a residential commission, and wanted to use it as a glimpse into how these types of panels are made. The first step (after the glass is cut) is to wrap the edges of each piece in copper foil, which acts as the surface the solder will bind to. Stay tuned for part two of this series, out next week, that will show the soldering process as well first looks at the window on the easel. This client originally came to us with a reference image, which we re-configured to define the glass shapes and position the solder lines. That design was in turn used as the template for the glass cutting process which proceeded this video. Design by Reed Weston Bradley and craftsmanship by maestro Alejandro.

The art glass restoration of Unity Temple was a dream for Judson Studios the art glass restorers located in Los Angeles. The project scope is briefly described ...in this short video. Pre-register for the Unity Temple documentary at https://buff.ly/2GKyVR0. #unitytemplefilm #unitytemple #flwunitytemple #franklloydwright #historicpreservation #architecture #documentary #architecturedocumentary #stainedglass #artglass

A big part of our business is helping designers achieve their vision. This can start with sketch or render and together we collaborate to create beautiful pieces such as these joyful table lamps by @lulu.lafortune LuLu LaFortune is a designer in Los Angeles. She specializes in bringing hand crafted techniques into modern 21st century design. Photo credit: @angiestong

Sam Tippetts, winner of the National Geographic the Assignment: Inspiration photography competition visited Judson Studios to visually story tell the life of artisans in the mastery of their skills. It was an honor to be a part of Sam’s journey and Thank You to Sam, National Geographic, and Mazda USA for including us in this special project. Photos by @samtippetts ... The full episode "Assignment: Inspiration" is available on Hulu.

It’s been quiet in the cutting room of the old studio for the past few weeks but fortunately we’re busy again on another window for the monastery in Wyoming.

Some pre and post fire comparisons from the second window of our South Pasadena Public Library job with Tim Carey Studio

Friday vibes Just about finished with the glazing of this massive fused glass rose window. Pictured are two of the nine panels from the upper right side of the window.

Repost from James Jean: Color picker @judsonstudios

Painting another

All hands on deck as we continue production on another set of windows for our liturgical fused glass project in Florida. Projects in this style begin by the cutting of descriptive glass that will be placed on top of a sheet of painted clear glass. The various layers of cut sheet glass will then be covered and blended with frit before being fully fused.

Some sights from our install at Inglewood Mausoleum last week, final shots coming soon!

We’ve started production with Tim Carey Studio on a set of three windows for the South Pasadena Public Library that celebrate the legacy of author Ray Bradbury. This fused glass triptych will be installed in the transoms of the aptly named Ray Bradbury Conference Room in the library. Pictured below is the first of three windows.

A quick restoration time lapse on this door panel for the historic Hollyhock House - We restored two of these panels that mirror each other in a double door at the house. The panels will be placed into new wood frames by Fortner Woodworks before being reinstalled back in the house. Look how long the style has been around, and no one has changed it. -Hector, master craftsman at Judson Studios

#wip on this little guys for a residential commission. Another master stroke by @indrebileris