Stained Glass Artist
Impact: Creating and preserving luminous works of art that transform the experience of sacred and public spaces
Design and fabricate stained glass windows, panels, and architectural glass installations using traditional lead came and copper foil techniques, and modern kiln-formed and fused glass methods. Restore and conserve historic stained glass in churches, heritage buildings, and public spaces; undertake new commissions for architects, interior designers, and private clients; and teach stained glass workshops. Develop original designs using watercolour, gouache, and digital tools, and select and paint glass with vitreous enamels.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 25% Team / 75% Solo
- Client facing
- Frequent
- Impact visibility
- Very High
- Travel
- 20-40% travel to installation and restoration sites
- Schedule flexibility
- Flexible
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 38-50 hours/week
- Stress level
- Low
At a glance
- Median salary
- $44,000
- Entry-level
- $22,000 - $34,000
- Senior
- $70,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 5% (heritage restoration and new ecclesiastical and public art commissions sustaining demand)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- High -- 100-200% growth from studio assistant to established stained glass artist
- Typical student debt
- $5,000 - $20,000
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Lead came cutting and soldering
- Copper foil (Tiffany) technique
- Glass cutting and grinding
- Vitreous enamel painting and kiln firing
- Heritage glass conservation
- Architectural glass design
Soft skills
- Artistic vision
- Attention to detail
- Historical knowledge
- Client communication
- Manual dexterity
Technical complexity: High
How to get there
- Minimum education
- Certificate or Vocational Training
- Licensing
- No
- Years to mid-career
- 5-8 years
- Years to senior
- 10-20 years
- Career switching
- Hard
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
- Glassblower
- Architectural Glass Designer
Where you can go from here
- Heritage Glass Conservator
- Public Art Commissioning Artist
Typical progression
- Studio Assistant
- Stained Glass Artist
- Senior Artist
- Established Studio / Heritage Conservator
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 5% -- design and fabrication are entirely manual; heritage conservation cannot be automated
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 9/10
- Meaning
- 9.5/10
- Work-life balance
- 7.5/10
- Prestige
- 7.5/10
- Social perception
- Very High