Jesse Olwen Stained Glass: Wrapping New Flesh on the Bones of An Ancient Craft

In a heartbreakingly dark and beautiful panel depicting the Statue of Liberty afloat in a pond amongst lily pads, water grasses and small frogs, Jesse Olwen reveals his inner sadness about the state of affairs in the US and wider world today. Though the most recent, this is not the only one of his works to reference Memento Mori– a Latin phrase meaning, remember that you have to die.

Olwen is a stained glass artist based in Montreal, working at the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary visual culture. His work reinterprets historic techniques through modern subject matter, exploring themes of memory, symbolism, and transformation. Through glass, he aims to create pieces that feel both timeless and culturally immediate.

States Olwen: "I don't know yet how my work can impact viewers on a large scale, but I do know that working with stained glass offers a unique way to express my message while also pushing the boundaries of the medium, which may be enough to hook some people. I want to show what stained glass can do and break it out of stereotypes that limit it. I want to show people that stained glass can exist in equal respect to other conventional artworks in a gallery or museum setting."

Bouncing from one high school to the next, at 16 Olwen was strongly considering dropping out. A local stained glass artist offered him a bit of foiling work to help her prepare for the holiday craft season. This mentor ended up encouraging him to finish high school, college and apply for an international exchange so he could see the world.

After traveling and a long hiatus from artmaking, Olwen returned to Montreal to pursue glass in his own direction, a solitary path he is still navigating. Beyond basic copperfoil techniques, he  had no experience with glass painting and was feeling frustrated with the design limitations of the lead line. Someone gifted his mentor with a glass kiln that she passed along to Olwen, and eventually he found the courage to do his first tests and taught himself to paint on glass. Now in an improved studio space, Olwen is perfecting his painting skills surrounded by tables and benches he built to his specific needs.

He says: "Working with stained glass allows me to make art that is both physical and ephemeral: solid in its construction, yet constantly shifting with the light that passes through it. I am drawn to the paradox of permanence and fragility in this material. It can last centuries, yet remains vulnerable to