What We Do
We brighten your life every day with the gift of a piece of stained glass art. We build beautiful whimsical glass art that translates light and sharp edges into laughter, fun and the strength to meet life’s challenges and grief.
We Help you Find your Joy Again!
Let one of our sweet critters, beautiful dragonflies or butterflies, amazing inspiring trees find their way into your heart and let go of your sadness or grief for just a little while.
Be inspired to dream!
Allow us to create space for love, connection and new dreams.
We Are Glass Quirks!
Sharen Johnston Art Therapist:
has practiced art therapy since 2004 having completed her post graduate master’s equivalent in art therapy at the BC School of Art therapy in 2002 a practicum at the Metchosin Community Center. We seek to combine her expertise as artisan and therapist, with humour and whimsy to lighten our people’s experience of the world today.
Our Inspiration:
Sharen, Artisan and Therapist, like so many of us, has experienced the pain of a broken life and rebuilt it over again. She uses these experiences to inform her work with that resilience and strength. Quirky, playful, whimsical.
We bring joy and healing in these difficult times with playful creatures and images to remind us that there is light especially when we feel lost.
Like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, Glass Quirks embraces the damaged parts of life, and makes them beautiful. It amazes the team every time we do it that we can rebuild broken pieces into something more beautiful than the parts. Fractured bits of coloured glass merge into glowing panels of transparent light art and quirky creatures to populate your home and your heart.
Boundaries made of came and foil hold the coloured light in a shape which is stronger, delights the eye and is once again whole. Precise lines and technical expertise balances Sharen’s quirky effervescent self to produce unique model boats that appear to be made from liquid light contained and framed.
We use stained glass, beautiful and colourful, broken and sharp, earthy yet edged; perfect as a transformational medium for processing pain and soothing tender hurts and hearts.
We do our best to laugh and invite laughter or smiles when life seems at its toughest!
Her critters are meant to see you through sad difficult times, making you smile when at your lowest
Let go of the bad stuff and
Imagine a wonder filled life!
Sharen can be found at her bricks and mortar studio on Johnson Street in Victoria, BC; or her outdoor vending booth at the Inner Harbour in Victoria BC, People visit her there to chuckle and smile at her whimsical creations; perhaps after a much needed cry, then leave with some small work of art that they needed, a small piece of comfort for the sad times.
Sharen Johnston
Founder - CEO, Designer, Master Artisan
Artisan and CEO Sharen ‘s creations tell tales drawn from herself and her clients’ stories of humour and hope, strength and steadfastness. Each critter has a helpful name that infuses qualities and personality specially to blunt the edge of sorrow and grief with humour and whimsy.
Location:
Sharen can be found at her bricks and mortar studio on Johnson Street in Victoria, BC; or her outdoor vending booth at the Inner Harbour in Victoria BC, People visit her there to chuckle and smile at her whimsical creations; perhaps after a much needed cry, then leave with some small work of art that they needed, a small piece of comfort for the sad times.
Brenda Smith
Project Consultant, Engineering
Artisan
The Team
The current Team has been with Sharen since 2014. The Team members form a company which ebbs and flows like the ocean tides ever changing ever creating. We work to meet the needs of our people with kindness and calm.
Sharen Johnston, highly skilled Artisan and Owner maintains creative control of concept, design and fine finishing. Her creativity is the foundation from which the initial spark of a new idea grows and catches fire.
She uses her mad skills as a therapist and communicator to provide safety for people to find that perfect gift and know it will help them help their loved one.
Sharen has a deep knowledge and a desire to use that knowledge to help.
Brenda, former apprentice and studio manager now consults from her new location. Brenda consults on major projects. She has a keen eye and is a master at clarifying and resolving engineering issues. Brenda also has the tenacity of a mama bear, helping to push projects to new heights.