Lisa is the talented stained glass artist behind Corgwyn Creations. I first came across her work on Facebook and saw her work posted in various corgi Facebook groups. I love that every piece is hand crafted and her designs are whimsical and adorable. I was fascinated that she produced all of her stained glass pieces from her own home! I reached out to Lisa to see if she’d be interested in showing us how all this corgi magic happens.
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Hi Lisa, can you tell us a bit about who you are and what you make?
My name is Lisa Davis. I am a wife, stay at home dog/cat mom and the owner of Corgwn Creations.
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What is your background in? Have you always been creative? When did you first start creating stained glass artwork and what sparked the desire to open a shop?
My background is in the completely unrelated but also creative field, Video Production. I think I have always had a knack for coming up with creative ideas but I would never have considered myself to have an artistic talent like a painter, sculptor or musician. Turns out all I needed was to find the right medium. I got into stained glass a couple years ago just as a hobby. I’ve always wanted to know how to make a Moravian Star so I thought I would take a couple stained glass classes. Shortly after taking the classes I decided to try making a Corgi. I began posting the progress pictures on Buckley’s FB page and with the encouragement of Corgi nation and the support of my husband the rest is history. On a side note, I have yet to learn how to make that star!
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What does your workspace look like? What are your must-have tools?
We recently just did a complete remodel of my work space. When we moved in to our new house I took over one of the guest bedrooms/offices as my glass studio. It was already set up as an office but was in no way ergonomically correct or set up for efficient work flow. Now it is! While I would say most of the tools in a stained glass artist’s tool-box are “must-have,” some may be a bit more important than others.
I use a light box to trace my designs. Some artists still use the traditional way by cutting patterns and attaching them to the glass before cutting the glass. So, while I might consider the light box a must-have, others may not.
The glass grinder is a very important tool to have, especially when working with curved pieces. You want your pieces to fit together perfectly, which is hard to achieve without a grinder since glass tends to have a mind of its own. Another tool that I commonly use is the glass saw. I use this for some of the harder curves that can be difficult to try to cut by hand. There are few things more frustrating than when glass repeatedly breaks “wrong”, that is, when it breaks the way it wants to break and not the way you want it to break. Using the saw on those harder-to-cut pieces, really helps with my sanity!
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Can you share details about the process for designing and making your pieces?
I think a lot of people do not realize the time and energy that goes in to the stained glass process. The very first step is to come up with a design. There are a lot of stained glass design books out there that you can use for practicing and making pieces for your friends and family, but if you want to make things to sell you have either come up with your own designs or get permission to use someone else’s design. Once you have come up with a design it is time to start cutting! And cutting and cutting… After you have all of your pieces traced, cut, and ground to fit together nicely, you need to wash them all off so that you can begin the foiling process. Solder does not actually stick to glass so you have to line all the pieces with a thin copper tape so as to give the solder some kind of adhesive. Finally, you have to solder everything together, which can be difficult because you have to keep the solder from “bunching up” so that it looks smooth.
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What was the inspiration behind all your different designs? How long does it typically take to create one corgi piece?
The inspiration behind my designs is my own corgi, SGT Buckley and all of our friends in Corgi Nation! Some of our design ideas come from members of Corgi Nation and fans of our page. We are always open to new design ideas! It is hard to say how long it takes to make a piece because I do many different designs and they all take varying amounts of time. It also depends on how long I’ve been making a particular design (I get faster with practice) and even just the type of day I am having. I can tell you that most pieces take several hours to create, and that is not including designing, listing, customer service and shipping.
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What pieces are you most proud of? Which pieces are most popular?
I am proud of every piece. It is hard for me to pick favorites because each time I create a new piece it brings a great deal of satisfaction. For example, my latest piece, the Origami Corgi is my current favorite. Before that, the winter Corgi was my favorite. I do really like the Dapper Corgi a lot, though. Our most popular pieces is the Corgi Butt night light. Corgi Butts really do drive people nuts! Our most popular holiday corgis are the Pumpkins and the bats.
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Have you done any custom pieces? What have been your favorites so far (most whimsical, fun to make, most challenging, etc)?
We have done several custom pieces in the past. I have found them to be the most challenging, though often they are the most rewarding. Custom pieces are fairly rare because they often take a lot more time to make, driving the cost up. The more unique markings on a dog, the more challenging they are to design and turn into glass. Sometimes all it takes are minor changes to customize a design and make it unique for a client, and sometimes you just can’t do it. Some of my favorite custom pieces include: Tony 2 Toes Toprano, Boomer Dorman, and Denby Dog.
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Tell us about your corgi or other furbabies… what are their names, favorite toys, favorite foods?
SGT Buckley- Muse and Head of Security at Corgwn Creations.
Buckley is our first corgi (PWC). Believe it or not, it was my husband who wanted to get a corgi. I really wanted a Border Collie but our house was on the smaller side so we thought a smaller dog would be better. After much research I decided Jon’s choice was the right one. Apparently, it only takes one to become corgi obsessed! Buckley loves loves loves fetch. It is his all-time favorite thing. The only thing he loves more is his dad. The only thing he loves more than his dad? Playing fetch with his dad! His favorite toy in the entire world is his Wiggle Wag Giggle ball. From the moment, he wakes until the moment he goes to bed (we have to take it away at night) he must have his ball. His favorite human foods are peanut butter and popcorn.
Cy- Head Boss Lady at Corgwn Creations.
Cy is a Border Collie/Corgi mix (Borgi). 3 years ago we decided we wanted to add another corgi to the family and began looking into rescue. We were looking for either a Tri or a Blue Merle Cardigan but this adorable Borgi kept popping up in my search results and I had always wanted a border collie… I managed to convince my husband that this was the dog for us by offering to name her Cy. Cy-Borgi! Cy does not have a favorite toy, she destroys each toy with the same reckless abandon. Her all-time favorite thing is going for Walks. She will walk forever if you let her. She is a momma’s girl and likes to make sure her mom finishes work on time and takes the required number of Corgi/Borgi breaks per day. Cy’s favorite foods are carrots and pretty much anything else you offer her.
Moxxi- Disgruntled former employee.
Moxxi no longer works for Corgwn Creations because she is a cat and she just couldn’t seem to get towork on time or stay awake on the job. Moxxi is the latest addition to our family. She is a Long haired Tortoiseshell kitten. Her favorite things are her custom cat shelves, Buckley, and ignoring her humans.
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Do you have any business advice or words of wisdom for other Makers and artists trying to pursue their passion? What have you learned so far since starting your shop?
Above all, make sure it brings you joy. There are few things more satisfying than plucking something out of your brain, creating it with your hands and finding that it brings happiness to others.
There are so many wonderful and talented artists in corgi nation who have been through, are going through, or will go through the same things you are… lean on and support each other.
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Are there any exciting, upcoming projects/designs that we can look forward to in 2017?
I hope so! Often times the ideas just pop in to my head at random. Here’s to hoping they keep doing that!
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What a great story! I love all of your babies!