Tom Nelson of Spectrum Stained Glass Studios has been a Dassel Townie always.  Upon graduating from Dassel High School, he said he would be the first to leave town.   Well, he is still here, having left only for college.  Dassel is glad to have him home.

Tom began his career with a major in Industrial Arts and became a wood worker.  Back in 1975 he needed some leaded accent glass for a cabinet he had built.  Having no idea how to create this he went to the Dassel Library where he was directed to the proper books, and he went into the yellow pages (remember those?) for supplies. 

He was delighted with the stained-glass process and did not look back, selling most of his woodworking equipment and moving headlong into creating his business.

He has several customer types, business, personal and church among them.  Tom said his favorite projects are church windows. He is enamored with the concept of creating beauty to fill a church and bring joy to people.  Knowing that the piece will be there after he is gone causes him delight.  Several his windows are in local churches, The Church of Christ in both Dassel and Litchfield, The Covenant Church in Dassel and Eagan, and many more. 

Tom does not have what would be considered a typical process for his pieces.  The price depends on the size of the piece, the number of glass pieces and the type of glass.  For example, a 30-piece project would commonly be less expensive than a 100-piece project.

I asked him for a simple explanation of his process.  Tom said that he has a five-part process…              Design and draw the piece, cut the glass to fit, put the pieces together using different techniques, and then finishing the work. The process can take a few days to a few months, depending on the complexity of the work. 

Much of Tom’s sales are made through his website, although he does have items placed in the Lanesboro Arts Shop (lanesboroarts.org), a Cambridge art shop, and with our own Dassel Art Tour on October 29.

Tom does have a few favorite pieces.  One is at the Dassel Covenant Church.  The original kitchen window was shining brightly upon the workers, so Tom was asked to create a shady stained-glass window for the kitchen.  He did it in the shape of a cross with a multitude of vegetables and fruits.  He found that it was a fitting way to light the space for the women cooking God’s bounty in the kitchen.     

His other favorites were for the Minnehaha Academy dedicated to the employees, John Carlson and Ruth Berg, who died during the 2017 gas explosion that destroyed a great deal of the school.  Along with these two he also did one honoring the academy.  He said he was gratified to have been chosen.

My final question was to learn a little-known fact about him.  He said that amazingly he loves to drag race.  He drives a little 2002 red mustang in area drag races, primarily Brainard and Grove City.

Come and see his art at our tour along with many other fine artists representing themselves around Dassel.  (dasselarttour.com)