THOMAS EMERSON'S commissions in etched glass have taken him from the kitchen to the altar. He has even decorated the facade of a Manhattan skyscraper. The versatile artist, who calls himself the Sandman, lives and works in Durham. He prefers his technique to that of stained glass, he said, adding, "My designs can flow freely, because they don't have to be leaded together."
Many of his designs for windows and doors, like prim little Victorian posies and a medallion surrounded by stylized scrolls, are frosted onto plain glass. Others are a profusion of color, very often with a floral theme, like dripping wisteria, perky blue irises or tiger lilies in hues of orange and yellows. Mr. Emerson also uses the glue-chip technique, which creates a translucent textured surface that retains privacy.
Tiger lilies against a glue-chip background adorn kitchen cabinet doors recently commissioned by Emerson Plumbing Supply for its showroom in Guilford. Altogether different in style and scale are the 16 doors he created for St. Michael's Roman Catholic Church in New Haven as part of a major renovation in honor of the church's centennial. The Rev. John Baptist Scalabrini, founder of the Scalabrini Fathers, is portrayed in color, as are St. Michael the Archangel, St. Peter, St. Anne, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Anthony. Other doors, in the church vestibule, are made of plain glass with glue-chip arches surmounted by a golden crown and red crosses. Making 860 Irises
Eight doors completed earlier for Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Wallingford also portray saints but are etched without color. Each was donated by a parishioner and inscribed in memory of a loved one.
Although lucrative, the commission for 860 rectangles of etched glass to be arranged in a geometric pattern on the exterior of the building at 750 Seventh Avenue in Manhattan was not Mr. Emerson's idea of creative work, he said. "The architect must have had some creativity," he said. "But it was not like doing 860 irises."
While doors and windows lend themselves particularly well to Mr. Emerson's technique, some of his work is purely decorative, like the eight mirrored panels he created for a restaurant in Hamden. One wall is graced by calla lilies in an Art Deco vase on a peach mirror flanked by arrangements of spring flowers on clear mirror. Opposite are five panels, the center one depicting an island, the other four birds and wisteria.
Mr. Emerson, self-taught except for some drawing classes, has been working with glass for 15 years, he said. Most of his business comes from commissions, he said, often in collaboration with interior designers or architects. But his studio, a renovated barn behind his house at 1140 New Haven Road, offers a wide range of work for sale.
His glass panels, which can be hung in a window or door, or even against the wall with illumination from behind, are framed in pine or oak; their prices run from $200 to $1,000 or more. Motifs include Oriental and Art Deco figures, cowboys, fruit, flowers and birds. Paperweights, which can be personalized, cost $60 to $300 depending on the intricacy of the design. Night lights with a design etched on the back rest on a wooden bases and cost $42 to $180.
A square table priced at $1,200 has an unusual finish. The edges are broken with pliers or a hammer for an uneven effect like deckle-edged notepaper, then sandblasted to impart a frosted look and smooth the jagged points. The square sits on a three-piece free-form stand, its edges sandblasted, too.
The artist said he is often called upon to repair or duplicate old pieces, like the Oriental lamp with panels of mirrored glass he was working on recently. He can also reproduce on glass designs from wallpaper, Oriental rugs or dinnerware.
Mr. Emerson's work can be dangerous and messy, he said. When sandblasting, he protects himself by donning a special suit, complete with a helmet, gloves and a respirator. "I look like a spaceman," he said.
Photo: Thomas Emerson with one of his etched glass creations at his studio in Durham. (Gale Zucker for The New York Times)
