Local artist works with stained glass, other mediums

By Ben Woods
bwoods@casscountynow.com

She sometimes gets cut by her art projects. With the sound of her baby chicks chirping in the background, Anna Dewell-Eddings creates art from broken glass.
Eddings got her first taste of stained glass in high school, when an adventurous art teacher allowed her students to experiment with stained glass art. 
As a self-taught stained glass artist, Eddings learned the majority of her skills from online videos and online artist support groups.
“I wanted to take my art very serious,” she said.  
The type of stained glass she makes is called Tiffany style.
The majority of the work is commissioned. People commission Anna for everything from custom decorative stained glass panels to stained glass suncatchers, coasters, etched glassware and necklaces. 
“Commissioned work is my favorite because I get to work directly with an individual and help them make an idea come alive -- it is a very fulfilling processes,” she said. 
Eddings buys a lot of her stained glass online but also picks it up at yard sales. 
“It is not cheap -- it costs around $5 for a 10 inch by 10 inch piece. Clear glass is the cheapest and red glass is the most expensive,” she said.
“I get asked frequently if I cut myself working with glass and the answer is yes, the small shards from cutting the glass is what you really have to watch out for,” she said.
Stained glass is not Eddings’ only art -- she also practices wood burning, glass etching, paintings and photography. One of her recent experiments is encasing small dried flowers in resin to make jewelry. 
When she first started, designs were created manually -- but she knew there had to be a better way. Eddings now uses a computer program called Glasseyes to design templates for her stained glass artwork. 
After she creates a design on the computer she will print it and cut the paper to make templates. She then glues them to the glass and finally cuts the glass to the desired size and shape. 
After cutting the glass she grinds it with a specialized grinder to smooth the edges and define the exact shape that she wants.
 Anna is a recent transplant to Linden. Along with her husband and daughter, she relocated in November 2016 from Denton. 
During her time in college Anna worked with mixed medium artwork and had a very encouraging art professor. 
Anna has a number of degrees and before moving to Linden was a project coordinator for the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and communications coordinator for the Department of Housing at Texas Woman’s University (TWU), from fall of 2008 to spring 2015. She also worked as adjunct instructor at TWU for two semesters.
“When I sell my work I don’t want it to be garbage -- I want them to have a quality piece of art that can be enjoyed for a long time to come,” Eddings said.
Her artwork can be found at Carla’s Flowers and Gifts, Cass County’s Front Porch, The Funky Rooster, and Hummingbird Flower and Gift Shop. It can be seen at www.facebook.com/annadewelldesigns or https://anna-dewell-designs.zibbet.com. 
Anna also plans to have a booth at the upcoming Wildflower Trails Festival in Linden.