My name is Jill Huentelman and I am an entrepreneur and stained glass artist.
Over twenty years ago, I founded a company Lernia Training Solutions, an education company catered to the corporate world. I successfully grew that business (if you want to read about my journey in the business world, check out Lernia), but after 18 years, I found myself wanting more.
I had always loved stained glass as a hobby, and when I had idle hands, I came back to glass. I took a stained glass class 10 years ago, and bought some supplies but didn’t have the time to really pursue it. 5 years ago, I carved out some garage space and made sun catchers. I watched YouTube videos, DVDs (remember those?) and read Stained Glass for Dummies. I kept learning and making mistakes. But that’s how we learn, right?
In 2016, I rented a room above an art gallery (Gallery 222 in Malvern, PA) and finally had the room to explore my creative side. It’s my she-shed, and even has a comfy couch.
For me, stained glass is all about connection. Connecting with a memory. A loved one. Family. We sell a lot of ornaments during the holidays, which I love – they are given as gifts, or personalized with a family members name on them. Stained glass is about remembering and loving others.
Since glass looks different with light, it’s also about remembering that there is a whole universe out there, and we only see things through our lens of the moment. Glass is spiritual for me, and I’m on a journey to bring stained glass out of the confines of a church. I think it’s good to remember that we are just an ant on a speck of a planet — there is more to life than just what we see.
When creating stained glass art, I really try to picture someone placing that art on their window, or in their homes. If person is not happy with their purchase, I have a 100% money back guarantee, no questions.
Stained glass is so subjective — what speaks to me may not speak to you in the same way. That is why we rarely do commissions. If you have an idea of what you want, and dimensions, but then allow us to create something for you – we definitely can help you out. But, if you have a definite idea of what you want, glass colors and all, there are many other stained glass houses that can help you out.
I am lucky to spend 2-3 days a week with my glass, and the other days with my other passion — helping small and mid size companies with strategic planning (read about that here.)
