April 2024

"The Art of Reading" Little Free Library - The Face Lift


 

In 2022, I designed and built a Little Free Library with a focus on custom glass design. Unfortunately, the original design suffered from a critical flaw: the exterior panels, decorated with photocopied images, couldn’t withstand the Sun’s ultraviolet rays. Within just two seasons, the once-vibrant images had faded, leaving the exterior looking washed out. While the concept was strong, I quickly realized this technique was best suited for interior projects rather than outdoor displays.

 

In the fall of 2023, I decided to give the Library a complete facelift. I removed the original panels and set about reimagining the exterior with a stronger approach—hand-painting eight stained glass panels to replace the originals. Each panel was meticulously crafted using glass cutting techniques and represented one of eight literary genres, featuring 96 individual book spines in total. I spent over 160 hours on this project, combining my passion for stained glass art and DIY stained glass methods to create a one-of-a-kind exterior.

 

The new design includes vibrant stained glass panels which showcase the following genres:

 

1. Children’s books
2. Sci-Fi and Fiction
3. Dystopian
4. Horror and Mystery
5. Biographical
6. History and Historical Events
7. Science, Technology, and Skills
8. Fantasy

This project also incorporated glass soldering techniques to securely fasten the pieces, ensuring durability for outdoor use. The custom stained glass panels now bring a beautiful, artistic flair to the Library’s façade, giving it a striking and long-lasting finish. In addition to the glasswork, I used wood art and wood steam bending to craft the framework for the stained glass panels, blending my skills in woodworking with DIY wood art and wood carving techniques to create a robust and artistic structure.

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To see the original version have a look here.
https://www.woodenglassart.com/littlelibrary