So what is stained glass?

You’ve seen it in the windows of churches and on really expensive lamps, but what is stained glass?

The process of creating stained glass hasn’t changed since Medieval times. The stained part of the name refers to the act of coloring clear glass with chemicals, such as silver, and firing it in a kiln so that the glass changes color permanently, in this case, yellow.

Today, you can avoid this process altogether by buying glasses in any color you need, already stained.

Once you have a clear idea of the design and look of your piece, you begin by cutting the different colored sheets of glass into the shapes you need, from circles to squares, using a glass cutter — a tiny diamond-tipped wheel that scours the glass so then you can crack it apart.

Once you have your glass cut, you paint an image onto each piece. The easiest way to do this is by placing the glass on top of a light box, with the image you want to paint on the glaass underneath it, so you can easily trace it.

Next, you place the painted glass pieces in a kiln, fired up to 1,250 degrees, so the paint adheres to the glass, like a polish.

“Once that paint is melted onto the glass, there’s no way of it fading or coming off like paint might,” said Joseph Cavalieri, who teaches workshops on stained glass at UrbanGlass in Fort Greene, and is the creator of the piece pictured.

Once that’s cooled, you wrap cooper foil around each piece of glass, place your puzzle together, and bond the pieces together using solder — a mix of tin and lead — and a soldering iron that melts the mixture onto the copper foil. In addition to melding the glass pieces together, soldering also results in red lines between the glass that gives the piece the three-dimensional look and character associated with stained glass.

“Without the metal separating each piece, it would just be paint on glass,” said Cavalieri. “It would just feel really flat.”

Now that you have your very own glass art, find a light box to display it in front of, or simply use a window, and let the light shine through.

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Get the lead out

Become a glass act in just a few days.

UrbanGlass is the center of glass art in the city, with workshops in glassblowing, stained glass, jewelry making, and more. Through these, the Fort Greene space has helped innumerable artists develop their craft, from learning the tools of the trade to the ins and outs of the art world.

This month, you can start from the beginning with “Get the Lead Out: Modern Enameled and Layered Stained Glass,” a four-day workshop on the art of glass painting, taught by Joseph Cavalieri.

A veteran of UrbanGlass, Cavalieri was working as an art director as such magazines as GQ and People when he started taking classes at the space 12 years ago. Last spring, he decided to devote himself full time to the work, leading to residencies in Australia and currently at the Museum of Arts and Design in Manhattan, as well as offers to teach the stained glass process at UrbanGlass.

During the workshop, Cavalieri will teach the basics of stained glass, from cutting the glass to soldering it all together, as well as focus on layering the glass so you have a three-dimensional stained glass piece, fit for a church, or, as in his case, decidedly not. The artist has made a name for himself in the glass art world as of late through his current conceit — juxtaposing edgy comics with the seriousness of stained glass. That started with “The Simpsons,” with the iconic images of Bart and Lisa hung on a crucifix. Currently, he’s borrowing from the subversive work of R. Crumb, known for his “Keep on Truckin’ ” comic of the 1970s, and translating images, such as of his wife, Aline Kominsky-Crumb, onto stained glass.

“I come from a graphic design background, and one thing I learned is if you put opposites together in an interesting way it draws attention to the work,” said Cavalieri. “Comics and stained glass are good opposites.”

All levels and backgrounds are welcome to take the workshop, though Cavalieri is keen on having artists who work in other mediums participate.

“I would love to have them do the same style on glass,” said the artist. “It only takes a day to learn the process, so you have a lot of time to really get into painting.”

Just remember — opposites attract.

“Get the Lead Out: Modern Enameled and Layered Stained Glass” at UrbanGlass [647 Fulton St. between Rockwell and Ashland places in Fort Greene, (718) 625-3865], July 15-18, 10 am-4 pm. Cost $700. For info, visit www.urbanglass.org or www.cavaglass.com.

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