🪞 The Kiss of the Artisan

 

🪞 The Kiss of the Artisan

Today I was gifted a treasure—an abundance of authentic wavy glass, rescued from the jaws of
destruction. To most, it's just “old glass.” But to those of us walking the Artisan Way, it’s nothing less than a capsule of truth, a fragment of time sealed with the blessing of the Artisan who made it.

Each piece was once molten breath, blown by hands trained through sacrifice. Shaped. Flattened. Cooled. Cut. Installed. And left to live in quiet service for generations. These pieces bear the kiss of the original artisan, and for those with eyes to see—it’s still there. Still shimmering. Still blessing the house it protects.

Let me say something I don’t recall anyone else saying clearly:

Every time a window with original wavy glass is removed and sent to the landfill, the remaining pieces across this country become more valuable.
Not just financially—spiritually. Historically. Emotionally.

Modern window replacement companies don’t just replace glass.
They remove blessing. They erase hope.
They bulldoze evidence of the Artisan Spirit.

But we—we who walk in Window Craft—we are keepers of that evidence.
And today, I want to ask all of you—especially those carrying the Artisan Spirit—to reassess how you value your collection of wavy glass.

Too often I’ve seen us give it away.
Give it to clients. Give it to friends.
Not realizing what we were truly giving.

From this day forward, may we never again see it as “extra.”
May we recognize its worth—and price it accordingly.

Each piece tells the truth of a time when craftsmanship wasn’t a luxury. It was normal. When the sash and frame were made by skilled joiners using quality lumber that now barely exists. When joinery itself was cheap—not because it was low quality, but because trees were abundant and craftsmen were many.

Today, to replicate that same quality—with today’s lumber, with today’s tools, with today’s labor—is exponentially more expensive.

That’s why I’ve been building the Window Craft movement.
That’s why I’m looking for leaders, finishers, and joiners.
That’s why we’re creating small-footprint sash factories that can be rolled out like the traveling shops of old—bringing skill, design, and legacy back into the neighborhoods that still carry the hope of the Artisan.

So if you’re holding wavy glass—hold it with honor.
And if you’re still surrounded by wood windows—you’re holding history in your hands.

Treat it accordingly.
Value it appropriately.
And if the Spirit of the Artisan is in you—come find us.

We’ve got work to do.