Working with stained glass is dream come true for award winning, Pam Bennett. She had been a free lance fine jewelry designer for years, while raising her family and working in the medical field as a diagnostic ultrasound technologist. When Pam was finally able to retire from her "real" job to pursue her dream of being a full time artist, her husband Mark was instrumental in her decision to pursue glass as her art medium.

After cutting her 1^st piece of glass, Pam knew she had truly found her niche as an artist. After several years of perfecting her skills in her home studio in Fernandina Beach Florida, she began to realize  she would need to learn more about glass painting and glass fusing so that she could have more freedom in her glass art.

Living in the Jacksonville area of Florida, on beautiful Amelia Island, gives Pam much of her inspiration. The glass artists she has taken courses from, inspired her to go even further with her glass art.

She began with a course that taught her how to use glass paints, stains, frits and luster with nationally renowned Dan Fenton. Dan is known as one of the cofounders of the "contemporary glass movement", is a contributing editor for "Glass Art" magazine and has authored some glass "how to" books. Dan was both a fantastic teacher and a great stained glass historian. He taught her how to go beyond the lead lines.

Soon after, a trip to Enders Island near Mystic Connecticut provided a week long experience that she and her Husband will never forget. St. Edmonds is a small Catholic dieses that has a mission of promoting the ancient Christian arts. Lifetime Achievement Award winner from the Stained Glass Society of America , Nicholas Parrendo, was her instructor.  He is known for his magnificent stained glass windows that are seen in hundreds of houses of worship and private residences around the country. Nick was willing to share his 50+ years of experience in glass painting with a small group of students for a week long course. From morning to night he shared not only his knowledge but his spirit. He opened Pam's eyes to how an endless amount of symbolism, that told a story, could be incorporated into a single stained glass window.

Pam and Mark both took a fun course in Dalle de Verre at the Blenko glass factory in West Virginia. Dalle de Verre is the process where one inch thick glass is chiseled into shapes then placed onto the pattern. Epoxy cement is poured around the pieces to set them into place. Though fun to learn and beautiful, it is not practical to transport these very heavy panels to art shows.  This was a fun one day course with the added feature of touring the factory where the Blenko glass artists work.

There are many people who love traditional looking glass and although it is fun to put these panels together, Pam loves to go beyond the lead lines and create unusually colorful fused and stained glass art.

Sometimes, she feels like the mad scientist of glass as she is constantly experimenting with different ways to use glass (not always successful). You never know what you will see from art show to art show, but it is guaranteed that it will be a feast for your eyes.

Even the most seasoned photographer has difficulty photographing glass. With that said, all glass looks better in natural lighting.

All of Pam's glass artworks are one-of-a-kind, and designed by her unless otherwise stated in the description. They serve to give examples of the scope of her work and can be adapted to the specific needs of each individual customer.

If you are interested in purchasing one of Pam's designs, there are 2 options. 1) You can contact Pam  at stainedglassbypam@yahoo.com  or at home (904)-491-4778 to check for availability, payment methods, and shipping and handling charges, or 2) you can make your purchase through a  secure art site called www.yessy.com   At Yessy you may also see additional pieces not seen on this site.