Stained Glass Window in Blessed Sacrament Chapel
St. Athanasius Church, Long Beach, CA, 2009
Left: Eucharistic Window with Chalice and Grapevines
Right: St. Athanasius, Namesake of the Church

St. Athanasius Catholic Church in Long Beach, CA has created a new Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Ancient Arts was contracted to create six new panels of stained glass for the chapel. The designs are compatible with the designs of the stained glass windows in the church sanctuary, which were created in the 1950’s.

Although the 1950’s era stained glass windows depict many saints, the namesake of the church was not shown. This oversight has now been corrected with a panel of St. Athanasius in the chapel as well as panels of a chalice and grapevine, the sacred monagrams, CHI-RHO and IHS and two decorative panels.

St. Thomas More Church, Irvine, CA, 2008 (work in progress)
Left: Rendering for Stained Glass Window, Archangels
Right: Rendering for Stained Glass Window, Our Lady of Walshingham

Ancient Arts stained glass studio in San Pedro was first contacted in October, 2006 by Rev. John Janze, pastor of St. Thomas More Church in Irvine, CA. The church was planning to begin construction of a new Parish Center and Father John was looking for an artist to create the new stained glass windows for the Library and the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Ancient Arts owner, Mark Schoem was thrilled to be selected for the project and design work was started in April of 2007.

A ground breaking ceremony was held on July 5, 2008 attended by
parishioners, guests and dignitaries from the Diocese of Orange and the City of Irvine. Fabrication is currently in progress and installation is scheduled for November of 2009.

St. Gertrude Church, Bell Gardens, CA, 2008
Before and After Vandalized Stained Glass Window of St. Cecilia

Ancient Arts was contacted in May, 2008 regarding an act of senseless vandalism at St. Gertrude Catholic Church in Bell Gardens, CA. In the middle of the night someone had thrown the concrete base of a planter at the window depicting St. Cecilia. This heavy projectile penetrated both the protective tempered glass on the outside and the stained glass itself.

We carefully extracted the stained glass window and brought it back to our studio in San Pedro. A rubbing of the intact portion of the window was made and then the damaged and weakened areas were disassembled. A careful attempt to match the missing and broken glass was made.

Much of the missing glass was not available locally and glass had to be shipped in from a distributor of German glass in New Jersey. Samples were also sent to be matched to a domestic stained glass manufacturer in West Virginia. Every effort was also made to replicate the painting style of the original work.

Carson Community Center, Carson, CA, 2008
Adult Lounge, Contemporary Design
approximately 28 feet x 7 feet

Ancient Arts was selected to repair and restore a massive stained glass window in the adult lounge at the Carson Community Center, Carson, CA. The overall window is approximately 28 ft. wide and 7 ft. high and is divided into 27 sections. The window was designed and fabricated by Edward Carpenter of Portland, OR and was funded by a 1977 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Over the years, a number of pieces were broken or cracked due to accidents and/or vandalism. The damaged areas were confined to 4 of the 27 sections. Some of the glass was difficult to identify and may have been difficult to locate, but Mr. Carpenter graciously identified and provided matching replacement glass from his inventory. The restoration was successfully completed in December, 2008.

Left: Seascape in Entry Door, Private Residence
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, 2009

Right: Victorian Design, Private Residence
Anaheim, CA, 2009

Irises, Master Bedroom,
Private Residence
San Pedro, CA, 2008

Beveled Glass, Living Room
Private Residence
San Pedro, CA, 2009

Beveled Glass, Tudor Design
Private Residence
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA, 2008