Glass artist ‘Spike’ Grosvenor colors the spirit

Recycle this:

In February 1971, just six months out of Vietnam, I enrolled at Whitworth College to complete my art degree and took an independent painting class from Walter “Spike” Grosvenor. At my end-of-term critique, Grosvenor focused not on the technical aspects of the paintings, as I supposed he would, but on the imagery. He pressed me about the emotions that underpinned the images. He encouraged me to begin to heal.

At the time, Grosvenor himself was a painter but it wouldn’t be until a few years later that he’d find his true artistic medium – stained glass windows. In response to a student survey requesting an elective stained glass class, Grosvenor began educating himself in order to teach the class. He says the attraction was immediate.

“Stained glass is so alive,” Grosvenor says. “The reds are one color in the morning, another in the afternoon. The blues are one color on a snowy December day, another in August. A cloud goes by and the light changes. A candle flickers and the light changes. It’s a live medium.”

Also, Grosvenor says, stained glass is a practical art form. For instance, he recommends its use to customize sidelight doors. The stained glass beautifies the entry area, letting in light while protecting privacy. “It lets you show your own personality and flair,” he says, “and it adds to your home’s worth.”

Another aspect of the stained glass medium that Grosvenor appreciates is that there is virtually no waste associated with it. “Stained glass artists are dedicated recyclers and reusers,” he says. “Even the smallest pieces are saved and get used.” For instance, he says, leftover glass from a large window may become panels in a candle box. Or small, odd-shaped shards may be utilized for mosaic designs on stepping stones.

Grosvenor also incorporates leftover stained glass pieces in mixed media artwork, along with old electrical wire, screen and other found objects. And he cuts and uses pieces from common glass recyclables such as wine, liquor and medication bottles. “It’s a way to take advantage of what wouldn’t necessarily get used otherwise,” he says. “It’s so much fun working with glass. You can always learn more, gain more appreciation.”

A challenge is something Grosvenor appreciates, too. When he was told that making the interior cuts on a chevron-shape was impossible using a glass cutter, he began experimenting. He discovered that by pinching between his thumb and forefinger the spot where he wanted the two cuts to end, he could finesse the almost imperceptible fissuring of both cuts simultaneously, coaxing them to meet, then stop, at exactly the same point, at precisely the same moment. A delicate procedure.

Such expertise earned Grosvenor an appointment to the board of directors of the Stained Glass Association of America where during 20 years of membership he chaired the education committee and directed its Stained Glass School.

His mastery of the medium has also led to numerous commissions; among them, the sanctuary windows at Millwood Presbyterian Church. On that project, he collaborated with former student Susan Kim, owner of Reflections Stained Glass in Spokane Valley. (Kim collaborated in 2002 with Walt Worthy and artist Randy Scholes to create “Reflections on a Peacock,” the stained glass ceiling in the Davenport Hotel’s Peacock Room.)

“The Millwood church project was cool because I got to work with my mentor,” Kim says. “I got to help build something that he designed. I got insight on how he used color and design to bring out the spiritual side.”

“He’s one of a couple really influential people in my life,” Kim adds. “He not only taught me to do stained glass, but the way he treats his students, cares about people – that’s the way I treat my customers.”

Grosvenor wasn’t always so sweet. As a foster kid he was on the verge of becoming a juvenile delinquent when a Millwood couple took it into their hearts to adopt him. They gave him compassion, nurture, and a home. Grosvenor’s been recycling that love with family, friends and students the rest of his life.

Lucky us.

Merry Christmas, Spike.

Happy Holidays, everyone.