Verre Designs | About Lisa Maywood





		Lisa was fortunate to grow up in a home environment that encouraged artistic expression. As a child, she drew creative inspiration from the different countries and cultures her family visited on yearly vacations. In high school, Lisa enrolled in a stained glass program, and discovered the artistic medium that would be her life's calling. Throughout high school and college Lisa advanced her skills with stained glass through a series of private courses. One day, while browsing on the Internet, she discovered a small art school in southern Switzerland, which focused solely on advanced stained glass techniques. Intrigued, Lisa used her vacation time at her job to fly to Europe to discover more about the school--The Ecole de Vitrail et de Creation (School of Stained Glass and Creation) in Monthey, Switzerland.
		Although she was 12,000 miles from home and did not speak the native language, Lisa enrolled in the school in September 1999, and graduated with a diploma in stained glass creation in June 2002. The 3-year program offered a wealth of knowledge that could only come from a European based school. The expertise of the teachers, combined with the world famous cathedrals and monuments that were only a train ride away, made this an excellent place to learn the centuries-old tradition of stained glass.

		The all-encompassing curriculum of drawing, painting, design and all other aspects of the stained glass process made this the perfect place to learn both modern and traditional styles. With limited class sizes the students received constant individual attention from the instructors. During her 3 years in Switzerland, Lisa participated in several exhibitions. The first was a group showing called Arts Visuels au Garenne in Monthey, Switzerland in 2002. The show focused primarily on drawing, painting and stained glass works of art. Also in 2002, Lisa exhibited at the Musee Suisse du Vitrail (Swiss Museum of Stained Glass) in Romont, Switzerland. And in 2003 she created a fused glass piece for an exhibition at Glasmalerei Peters in Paderborn, Germany. Lisa also won design awards for a private chalet in Champery, Switzerland and a trophy for an annual floral arranging contest in Monthey, Switzerland.

				After returning from Europe, Lisa struggled with the idea of working for a large studio or going out on her own. Taking a big leap of faith, Lisa decided to open her own business--Verre Designs--in November 2003. Derived from the French word for glass, Verre Designs is now dedicated to the design and production of custom-crafted stained glass art for commercial and residential settings. Her first solo exhibition was in January 2004, at a salon called Dulcinea, located in San Diego, California. In April 2004, Lisa was asked to participate in a group
		opening involving painting, sculpture, and stained glass called Art Around Adams. Lisa's work is also featured in the May 2004 issue of San Diego Home/Garden Lifestyles as part of the 31st Annual San Diego Historical Society Showcase, located in Point Loma, California. Also in May 2004, she exhibited a piece at one of the homes on the Secret Garden Tour of Old La Jolla, California.
		Currently, Lisa is focusing her talent on in-home designs. Her on-line portfolio displays the unique style of work that Verre Designs has to offer. Visits to the studio are by appointment only. Lisa can be contacted at Lisa@VerreDesigns.com or by telephone at (858) 220-3282. Lisa also teaches a course at The Art Academy of San Diego. Visit the academy's web site at artacademyofsandiego.com for details.