My Daughter & I with her first big project!
The Workshop
Showing off Jim's Transom
Dean Hardly Working
Dean's Stained Glass
About the Artist
I live in Gulf Shores, Alabama on the Alabama coast....about a mile from the whitest sugar sand beach in the country. It's tough, but someone has to live here. Just don't talk about Hurricanes.....I've seen a few. My workshop is in my home, and although cluttered with 20 years of stuff, is about as perfect a workshop as any guy could want.
E-mail Dean
Dean's Stained Glass
Why do I build glass? I'm too old to start another hobby and I'm too experienced at this to try to be an amateur at something else. I love building stuff.....taking parts and pieces and creating something whole.
I'm not an Artist in the purest sense of the word. I don't have Divine Inspiration or some unique gift to create magnificient new art concepts. However, I am a craftsman......I can build almost anything ...... given some artistic direction. My attention to detail is really good. When you grow up poor, you learn to fix stuff.....you learn you better do it right the first time.....you sure can't afford to do it again. I'll agonize over a design, spending countless hours perfecting minor changes, yet, when its time to build, I'm ready to get in there, get dirty, and get it done. I build quality glass....every piece I build is the absolute best quality I can build, every detail taken care of. I sign each piece because, long after I'm gone, I hope someone will marvel about the quality of a piece of glass with my signature.
I graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in Industrial Management and went into Corporate America for 6-7 years. Realizing I was not a big company man, I've spent the rest of my life as an independent small businessman, first as a Real Estate Broker/Business Broker for a decade and then owning a group of small retail stores for another two decades. I love making money....so my artistic endeavors have always taken a back seat. Now, with kids grown and gone, I can focus on what I like to do best......making colorful works with glass.
I've been building stained glass for 30 years. I do good work because of my attention to detail. However, I'm not overly creative and am horrible at drawing. I like the classic designs of the Victorian and Art Nouveau era.....I'm just not a free form kind of guy....I guess it's the engineering background. I like stuff that is symetrical...that makes visual sense to me. I love working with people who get excited about the glass design we are working on, who want to participate in the process of creating something unique, who get excited that there is somebody out there that will help translate their dreams and ideas into a unique stained glass piece.
There's a flag on all 100+ pages of my website because its the right thing to do. Thanks to those who defend our freedom!
Showing off Jim's Transom
Why do business with me? Normally, I can make designing a piece of glass fairly easy for you. It's not my first rodeo. I'm easy to work with and realize most people who contact me aren't sure what they want ...and we have to explore some ideas. I'm not cheap.....if you want cheap, order "made in China" from one of those eBay sites. If you want quality workmanship and your design, in your size, I will take care of you. Please contact me and let's swap ideas.
Thanks for visiting my site, Dean Watts
The Workshop
My Daughter & I with her first big project!
Hardly Working