36°
The Glass Source, located at 415 Howe Ave., had its beginnings as a studio called “Metro Art Glass” which was frequented by hobbyist Mary Pillsbury.
When the owners retired, Pillsbury bought the studio and renamed it The Glass Source, focusing on classes, retail and residential and custom designs.
The studio portion was taken over by Deborah Breither in 1997.
Skrtic, who had apprenticed with Pillsbury since 1995 and has a fine arts background, took ownership of The Glass Source in 2004, continuing on with Breither.
Under Skrtic's direction, the Glass Source has focused on restoration, custom design, teaching and experimenting. It moved to its current 4,500-square-foot space in the Conti Building in 2006, offering a large class area, gallery, and retail area as well as ample working space for the creations and restorations.
Perillo and McGorty were given hands-on access to the ongoing restorations and projects being tackled by Skrtic and Breither, complete with explanations about their intriguing process for restoring damaged or old glass works, and the inspirations for new and exciting designs.
“This is simply one of the most fascinating little businesses in Shelton,” said Perillo. “This kind of fine art is extremely rare. Individuals like Mike and Deborah, with their talent, knowledge and experience in this field are rarer still. It is easy to see why this studio continues to be one of the Shelton’s great treasures, and why their work has earned an international reputation. I urge area residents to come out and check out this impressive studio for themselves.”
McGorty echoed those thoughts.
“The artistic craftsmanship you will find at The Glass Source is second to none,” he said. “It was a real pleasure to get to see how Mike and Deborah do the amazing work they do up close and in-person. There is nothing else like it in the region or the state, and I’m proud to have them as part of the Shelton community.”
The Glass Source has been recognized as one of the top studios in the nation for the restoration of custom glass designs, as well as its development as a major learning hub for glass art hobbyists.
Some of the major installations and restorations they have been involved in include Yale's Vanderbilt Hall, Yale's Law School and Science building, Bellarmin Hall at Fairfield University, St. Paul’s Church, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, St. Joseph Church in Shelton, and Golden Hill United Methodist Church in Bridgeport, among others.
For more information about The Glass Source, visit theglasssource.com.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Shelton and receive free news updates.
