Hans Theurer, of Jurgen Glassworks, started making stained glass projects after inheriting equipment and leftover glass from his father-in-law when he started having sight problems.
Theurer said his first piece of work was one that his father-in-law started but couldn’t complete due to his diminished eyesight.
He inherited the equipment in 1999, but really started to play with it in 2002 and says he kind of grew into the hobby,  playing with it a little, and then more and more all the time.
Theurer has been to several craft shows, as well as participating in the Art In The Street recently in Arthur.  Through those endeavors he met a lot of interesting people.
Theurer retired as an Environmental Supervisor from Rothsay in 2007, and needed a hobby to keep him busy. He already had the interest in stained glass, so he put more time and energy into the hobby.
As a retirement gift from the employees of the Rothsay plant, he received a glass saw, which he said was a very pleasant surprise.
His wife, Marilyn, is also retired, and she assists him with the stained glass projects, sketching the patterns for the larger pieces that are built specifically for a client.
She also does custom sewing projects for clients, making them a very creative couple in their hobbies.
Theurer said he has taken a couple of courses to do with glasswork, including one on glass kilns which fuses different colours of glass together, making for a really spectacular effect.
He’s hoping to get his own glass kiln in the near future.
Theurer makes a lot of sun catchers for the craft shows, but also to show people what he can do  if they are looking for a larger piece.
He’s done quite a few larger stained-glass items, including door panels to be installed into a door, and a five-foot wide half-circle insert for a cottage window.
Theurer said during the design process for the larger items, he has the client come in several times to approve the design, and has them take home glass to view in the window where the piece will end up. He said sometimes glass looks good under certain light but doesn’t work in another place.
Theurer keeps a book filled with samples of his work, especially the bigger projects, for prospective clients to look through. And the back window of their home is filled with stained glass, along with several panels throughout their Tucker Street home.
For many of the larger projects, Theurer has custom hangers made at the Country Forge in Fergus by Ray. He said he also has some of his work there on consignment.
Theurer likes to experiment and has recently put a glass plate into the centre of a piece, as a remembrance of a favourite relative.