How overlooked windows sparked a stained-glass career

Photo: Neighbors of Park City // Dana Klein.

Alongside her dad, Dawn Chapman started working with stained glass in her dad’s garage “glass shop.” After she and her husband built their house in Pinebrook, she discovered three windows with views underneath the deck and the roofline, as well as one that led into a drainage area. Once she realized these would be great for stained glass, she talked to her dad. She collaborated with him on two of those windows, which feature her dad’s hummingbird designs. The second window was a true joint effort, with Dawn’s more abstract art framing her dad’s work. The third, triangular in shape, highlights Dawn’s abstract style. 

When Dawn decided to pursue stained-glass art on her own, she took some classes to fill in any gaps where her knowledge may have been lacking. Now, she has her dad’s glassworking table in her garage, along with glass stored in a large room by her workshop. Dawn’s first projects were gifts she made for girlfriends; next, she started creating snowflake designs for clients buying or selling their houses. When her husband complained that window space in their home was becoming scarce, she held a sale at her house (which happened to go very well!).

As Dawn was working on more abstract pieces and mixed media—adding shells, stones, and different types of materials to the glass to see what she could come up with—she met Alexandra Jicol, who convinced her to check out Create PC. Since December 2024, Dawn’s work has been featured at Create PC in Park City. 

“It’s really inspiring to me to know that my art lives on and that my art goes to so many different places that I may never go. I have art pieces in Australia, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, and France. It’s really rewarding,” says Dawn, with almost infectious enthusiasm.

In her daily business, Dawn deals with contracts, houses, and repairs, so when she is in her creative mode in her studio, time just flies. Her art is three-dimensional, also two-dimensional with up to 400 pieces in a single artwork, with many nature-inspired designs. Hiding in the corner of her storage room is plant jewelry, which are sticks with stained-glass designs at the top. Beveled-glass snowflakes, 3D lamps, and myriad holiday designs line the tables. Dawn Chapman is an artist who is known to create in her glass studio five days in a row, but when the muse isn’t inspiring her, she allows herself to take some time off. You can check out her artwork at www.dcglassart.com.