California native brings art of stained glass to Tupelo
Apr. 18—TUPELO — When Gordon Russ was about 6 years old growing up in the Bay Area of California, his family accidentally left him at church one Sunday.
"I just sat there on that pew in the church, looking around," Russ said. "I've wondered if that's how I got my start in this business."
Russ, 65, who has Russ Studios in Tupelo, specializes in architectural stained glass. He does commission work for private residences, churches and commercial buildings, as well as restoration work.
"When I was 18, I was blessed to apprentice with a guy from Ireland — John Hogan — who did church windows all over the country and Europe," Russ said. "I was going over after school and working and watching him."
Russ opened his first studio at age 21 on the southern coast of Oregon, where he taught classes.
"The beauty of stained glass is the way we do it," he said. "If it's true stained leaded glass, it's the same tools, the same materials they've used for hundreds and hundreds of years. It's kind of cool that things haven't changed much."
Russ has done work for churches up and down the West Coast.
"Churches are my favorite because, first, there's a lot of exposure, a lot of people seeing them," he said. "Back in the day, stained-glass windows were put in churches to tell stories — people were illiterate. But I also like to do them because I like working on a large scale."
The largest work he's ever done was on the Washington State Patrol building in Tacoma.
"It was 14 windows, about 800 square feet," he said.
Work Brings Joy
Russ moved to Tupelo in 2013 at the behest of a company that was putting in a new printing press at the Daily Journal.
"I intended to stay three months, but it's ended up being eight years," he said. "I didn't understand how wonderful the South is. People in other parts of the country don't understand."
Russ opened his studio on Elliott Street, where he hopes to begin teaching classes, selling supplies and keeping regular business hours.
"But that's quite a commitment," he said. "I'm supposed to be retired."
Russ typically works on one piece at a time so he can give it his full attention.
He starts with a design he draws out on paper. Then he cuts each piece of glass — either poured glass or handblown glass — to fit the design. He uses pliable lead, which comes in 6-foot pieces, to outline the pieces of glass.
"I don't like to do little pieces, because the lead takes up so much space it becomes almost cartoonish," Russ said. "It's a pretty meticulous process to get it right."
Right now, he's working on a window featuring irises that will be 18 inches by 42 inches when finished.
"I might have 50 hours in a window that size," he said. "It depends on how intricate it becomes."
While Russ considers himself an artist, he's quick to point out that he could never create something like a painting.
"This is graphic design," he said. "Everything is symmetrical. I've been doing it so long I end up doing bits and pieces of stuff I've done before."
Russ creates some pieces just for his own pleasure, but most of what he does is for clients.
"It's just a joy to see people's reactions," he said. "I made one for a lady, and it made her cry. There are no words to describe that joy, knowing it's going to be a permanent part of her house and last forever."
