Tenino Artist Turns Scrap and Broken Window Glass into Handcrafted Works of Art for the Home

Do you ever wonder what happens to old window glass?  Occasionally, old windows themselves are salvaged, but for broken and scrap pieces of window glass, it’s a different story.  Because window glass differs from other types of glass, it can’t be easily recycled, so more often than not, it ends up simply being discarded and sent to the landfill.

However, Tenino, Wash. artist Donna Taylor Mayo has come up with a unique and decorative solution.  She takes broken and scrap pieces of window glass, and turns them into one-of-a-kind, handcrafted glass art for the home.

In her Earth-friendly studio, which uses repurposed materials and energy efficient kiln firing, Donna creates her stunning, shimmery light infused works of art from glass that otherwise would be thrown out.  Window glass has a more translucent look than other types of glass, emphasizing light and translucency, and she makes full use of this in her work.  It’s also more difficult to work with than glass recycled from bottles, jars and other sources, having a different composition that requires specialized techniques to be successful.  You also can’t combine it with other recycled glass; if you do, it is more prone to break, shatter or undergo stress fractures.

Each of Donna’s art pieces starts with a lump of clay, which she carefully crafts into a mold.  Once the mold is dried and cured, she cuts each piece of glass specifically to fit to the mold, then places the glass and mold in the kiln to be fired - as long as up to nine hours for her more complex pieces.  The result is stunning glass art featuring cool, watery tones.

Her online store features heavily on nature-inspired and whimsical creations, and represents just a portion of her body of work.  Snowflakes and pumpkins, honeybees, hearts and much more.   Her Light Catchers are shimmering, light-infused designs of all shapes and sizes, created for windows, doors, walls, porches, gardens or any places where you want to add sparkle.

In addition to her online store, you can see her work in local galleries such as the Rectangle Gallery in Centralia. She also frequently exhibits at local art events and festivals, including the Edmonds Art Festival where she won Best Artist in 2025. 

You can learn more about her by visiting her website Of Water, Winds and Woods at https://www.ofwaterwindandwoods.com/.

All Photos Credit: Pete Rowen