I am Valerie Fairlight, a self-taught stained glass artist in Portland, Oregon. My work is made of glass painted with vitreous pigments and then kiln-fired, bonding the pigment permanently to the glass. The glass is then assembled with lead and solder in the same methods used to create stained glass since medieval times. 

Formerly a graphic designer, I quit that profession in 2015 to devote my creativity exclusively towards more personal work. I’m driven by a passion for the decorative arts and a desire to bring more magic and beauty into the everyday world. I’ve previously worked in the mediums of illustration, jewelry, and neon before finding stained glass. I’m influenced by a lifelong love of comic books, music, architecture, and sparkly things.

Glass is a form of self-expression for me. The inspiration for my work stems from secret societies, feminism, witchcraft and folklore, and a childhood spent traveling and seeing a lot of ecclesiastical art in old churches. I hope my work evokes a sense of history, mystery, and the incomprehensible.