About Me

Hi, I’m Zoë Newell! I’ve been making stained glass for the past 3 years and have fallen in love with the art form. My mother used to make stained glass as a hobby before I was born- she kept all of her old equipment around and one day I took an interest and wanted to try it just for fun. Mom gave me a quick tutorial of what she remembered and I took off! I’ve had to since replace some of the older tools, but I’m still working my way through scraps of 30 year old glass that my mom purchased!

My work reflects a whimsical and cartoon-like style with flowing shapes and bold colors- I take a playful approach to my designs.

What I love about making stained glass is the transformational process. Taking sheets of glass, cutting, grinding, and soldering them until they’ve all come together to create an image. Those final touches on a piece are so satisfying, and nothing beats the feeling of seeing the glass glow in the light for the first time. There is something so charming about stained glass, its shining colors add character to any space.

You may have noticed the Pride section on my shopping page. My first ever in person market was the Chattanooga Pride Festival in 2022, and that is also when I first started making stained glass Pride flags. There is nothing more dear to my heart than the equitable treatment and inclusion of all people, especially the LGBTQ+ community. As a reflection of this passion of mine, I have maintained an ongoing series of Pride flags of all kinds, and feature rainbows in a lot of my work.

Another passion of mine is environmental living, with a focus on using second hand products, and reusing/repurposing as much as I can. There are several ways I’m able to incorporate this into my art- by reusing packaging materials (paper, foam, & bubble wrap), being a vigilant recycler, and always keeping my eye out for second hand materials- I am always trying to think of ways for my art to be sustainable.

Besides that I’m also a sporadic gardener, an animal lover, and passionate cat owner of 2 lovely kitties: King Friday and Malka, who will sit for hours whining at my studio door to be let in. I previously fostered kittens through the humane society- I kept the kittens in the same room that is now my studio!