PASSIONATE CRAFTSWOMAN: Robbie O’Kelly, a co-owner of Evergreen Art Glass LLC, says custom jobs account for about 90 percent of sales. The business also restores stained glass windows in churches. – PHOTOS BY TOM WILEMON

Robbie O’Kelly watches as the late afternoon sun brings the saints to life inside Evergreen Art Glass LLC.

The Madonna gazes serenely over the room. St. Thomas peers forward as a risen-from-the grave Jesus pulls back his robe to reveal his wounded side. Other stained glass pieces include Art Deco designs, whimsical figures and abstract creations.

But it is the religious icons that make it all worthwhile for O’Kelly. She learned to love stained glass as a child in church.

“Those windows told the story of the life of Christ,” she said. “For me, stained glass is very personal. I enjoy it and it gives me a lot of gratification.”

Smooth partnership

Although she’s been working with stained glass for the past 16 years, O’Kelly describes herself as more of a craftsman and said the artist behind the business is co-owner Rodney Rash. He paints the glass and fires it in a kiln so the strokes never fade. She cuts the glass, builds the windows and installs them.

“It’s a good business marriage,” she said. “We work well together and we’ve known each other a long time. We both know what to expect from one another. That makes it run very smooth.”

This stained glass representation of former President Bill Clinton is but one example of the creations at Evergreen Glass LLC.

The two worked for another business before they decided to open their own shop three years ago at 575 N. McLean St. They gave new life to an old building – one O’Kelly is buying through a lease-purchase agreement. She is having the rest of the building renovated, which will allow the business to double its space. A third bay also will be available for lease once the renovations are complete.

The small commercial stretch along McLean has experienced an increase in traffic since the opening of Café Eclectic, a coffee shop and bakery just north of the stained glass business.

“This building was built in 1920,” O’Kelly said. “It’s been several different things. Some people in this neighborhood still remember it being an old pharmacy. Then it was a hair salon. Then it was a piano shop. When I came here, it had been closed for about five years. I had to bring everything up to code. We did all that work, except for the plumbing and the electrical. It was absolutely horrific.”

Custom-made orders for churches and residences account for about 90 percent of the business at Evergreen Art Glass.

“There is a stigma behind stained glass where people think it is so expensive that they can’t afford it,” O’Kelly said. “I have known people to pay more for custom-wood shutters than they would have paid for stained glass.”

Interesting projects

O’Kelly and Rash recently finished a restoration at Calvary Episcopal Church.

“Wow, what a unique experience,” she said. “They call it the east window in the Episcopal church, but it is actually the altar window. The window had to be restored. The lead was damaged. The glass was damaged. The sash had to be scraped and painted. It was a very huge undertaking. The window is estimated to be 135 to 140 years old.”

O’Kelly also restored the stained glass windows at St. Peter’s Church in 2002.

“I found one window that was signed out of all those windows,” she said. “Those windows were from Munich, Germany. Back then, they really didn’t do anything in the states. Everything was from Europe.”

A person doesn’t have to be a saint to have their portrait made into stained glass at Evergreen. Displays of famous people at the store include Cher and former President Bill Clinton.

O’Kelly wanted to do a portrait of Clinton to honor him for the work during his term.

“For my generation, for me, he was my president,” she said.

O’Kelly wrote Clinton a letter to ask permission to create a portrait for his presidential library in Little Rock. A few month later, she got a call from the 42nd president.

“My brother answered the phone,” she said. “He brought me the phone and said, ‘You’re not going to believe who is on the phone.’ I thought he was just kidding me.”

Clinton was gracious and friendly during the phone call and embraced the idea. The portrait hung in Little Rock for six months. O’Kelly and Rash plan to donate it to Friends for Life for an auction to raise funds for people living with AIDS. In December, the shop will host a fundraiser for a church food pantry.