Doloris Groome: Each project is a labour of love
By Joan Janzen
Kindersley resident Doloris Groome has been enjoying her hobby for approximately forty years. Her handcrafted glass sun catchers and decorative pieces are a labour of love she creates in her home.
“My first piece was a mirror with a parrot on one side that was three and a half feet tall,” she said. “In the past, I’ve made windows, lamps, flowers, birds ... anything I can get my hands on. If someone has something in mind, I’m open to finding a pattern. I do it because I love it and like to share the beauty of it.”
Doloris crafts creations that are appropriate for every occasion, from Christmas angels, Valentine hearts, or a clock for a wedding gift. All she needs is a pattern, and her work begins. “A lot of patterns come from books, but sometimes patterns aren’t accurate, and I have to make adjustments,” she explained. “I could have handled some pieces ten to twenty-five times from start to finish to get everything right.”
Her craft is labour intensive, requiring numerous hours to complete a project. “I can’t charge for my time,” she notes.
After securing a pattern, she purchases coloured pieces of glass but also has a good supply of glass on hand. “It’s a hobby that’s quite hard on the hands because you have to hold the glass firmly when you’re cutting,” she said. Doloris draws the pattern on the glass and scores the glass with a glass cutter.
“Glass is not an even thickness when you’re cutting it. Sometimes I have to make seven cuts to get all the angles. It’s not straightforward work,” she explained. Doloris uses two types of plyers, and after the cutting is done, she finishes everything on the grinder to get rid of the rough edges.
Eventually, Doloris is ready to put the pieces together. She places foil on the edges, pieces it together, solders it using flex on the copper foil so it will stick. One-quarter of each sheet of glass will be wasted because many cuts are needed for a single piece of a project.
Once Doloris completes a project, she is rewarded by the recipient’s response. “I love seeing people’s expressions when they see how beautiful the glass looks in the sunlight,” she concludes.
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