My work begins with simple sketches, but the design rarely remains fixed. As I select each piece of glass, listen to music, and imagine a short story behind the piece, the composition gradually transforms. By the time the panel is finished, it often bears only a distant resemblance to the original drawing. This evolution is the most meaningful part of the process. What begins as a pattern slowly becomes something more—a small illustration, a postcard from an imagined place, or a snapshot of a fleeting mood.

Glass is a remarkable medium because it is never static. Its color, depth, and texture shift constantly with the changing light. My stained glass panels are meant to live in windows, where the world continues to move behind them—trees swaying in the wind, passing clouds, the rhythm of daily life. Light, shadow, and movement interact with the glass, transforming the work throughout the day. In this way, the panel is never truly still; it exists in quiet, continuous motion.

——-

Alla Sharkova lives in Bethesda, Maryland. Alla got interested in stained glass when she was a child, but growing up in Azerbaijan there was not the remotest possibility for her to learn the craft. Alla immigrated to the United States when she was 19, completed her Computer Science degree, and began working as a software developer while exploring various art mediums. When she was in her late 20s she bought a box of stained glass art supplies at a yard sale. That same evening she cut out four pieces of glass, wrapped them in copper foil, and soldered them together. She was totally hooked, and there were no turning back. For more than 20 years now Alla has pursued stained glass as her hobby.