THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 20, 1995 TAG: 9501180148
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04B EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEAN GEDDES, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
At midmorning, the offices of Dr. Richard Harris bask in the warm glow of stained glass windows.
The windows, which are all the creation of the local dentist, also act as a kaleidoscope as the day progresses, changing shadows in the offices with hues of red, green, yellow, orange and blue.
``I have always enjoyed working with my hands,'' explained Harris, speaking both of his hobby and his profession. ``I enjoy creating beautiful things.''
His fascination with stained glass windows began at age 6, when he would sit in church and gaze up at the magnificent religious works, but it was not until he was an adult and in the Army that he began seriously working with the medium.
Although his workday as a dentist begins as early as 7 a.m. and does not end until late afternoon, evenings find him in his garage workshop, designing, cutting and soldering, as he creates his windows.
It is in this solitary atmosphere that he loses himself to the world of stained glass. ``It is possible to work inside one's home, but as it requires soldering, it's really better to have a workshop or a workbench in the garage,'' he said.
``The nice part about working with glass is that I can fit it into my work schedule nicely. I can lay the design, cut the glass, then leave it until later when I will return and work some more on the piece.''
He calculated he has designed and created about 100 stained glass windows, many which grace various homes in the city.
Taking a six-week course in the basic techniques under the instruction of Jerry Brannin, who is known for his skillful church restoration work, Harris said finding a good supplier for the glass took a lot of searching. ``It was while I was in the Army during the Vietnam War and stationed for a time in San Francisco that I discovered Nervo Studios in Berkeley who became my chief supplier.''
But to find the proper piece of stained glass takes some looking he said, explaining that red glass is the hardest to locate.
He works mostly with the pastel shades of glass and his designs include nature, such as a piece he created entitled ``The Last Leaf,'' and the human form.
In one, there's a woman looking through a keyhole at the outside world of colorful flowers. ``The challenge is to catch the movement, the softness of the human form with a piece of glass, to achieve just the right shades,'' he said. This piece, he added, is his masterpiece.
As many of his designs involve humans, he searches diligently for just the right piece of glass for skin tone, for color of hair and for clothing.
Stained glass is both an art and a craft, he said. ``It takes technical skill but also involves creativity and imagination.''
He also said there is a definite correlation between his profession and his hobby. ``As a dentist I regard each crown or filling I do as a piece of sculpture; a new creation and never have I found dentistry boring. Certainly there is precision required just as there is in working with stained glass.''
A man of many talents and hobbies, he also works in his garden, even grows winter vegetables, enjoys golfing and has a boat so he and his family can enjoy fishing.
Harris is particularly proud of his two sons, Jesse, 16, and Corey, 13. Jesse, a placekicker at First Colonial High School, has won an award for designing a T-shirt for the Lynnhaven Middle School band. Corey, 13, has won citywide awards in art and literature and attends Lynnhaven Middle School.
His wife, Carole, works at Cape Henry Collegiate School. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photos by CHARLIE MEADS
Dr. Richard Harris has decorated his dental office with his stained
glass creations.
In designs involving humans, Richard Harris must search diligently
for just the right piece of glass for skin tone and hair color.
by CNB