Bill Darwin II learned the art of stained glass fom his grandfather, the late Roy Darwin of Ann Arbor, over 30 years ago, and has been making his living with it ever since. He handcrafts windows, doors, and lamps for homes, businesses, and churches. Expert craftsmanship and attention to detail are hallmarks of his success.
Some examples of his work may be seen below.
Our latest challenge is at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, a gorgeous new contruction in Michigan Center, Michigan. The contractors, builders, and church personnel are dedicated to the finest in building materials and are committed to local talent whenever possible. In addition, everyone is a joy to work with!
Bill and Marsi are learning the art of painting on glass for this job - first painting, removing paint with tools and brushes, and firing the glass in multiple steps. This will be an ongoing project for us, and it's bringing us a lot of joy.
The "Rose " window (featuring the dove) is 8' in diameter. The Saints windows are almost 6' tall.
Private Collection
Chelsea United Methodist Church
Approx. 13' tall x 10' wide
Shepherdsville United Methodist Church
First Presbyterian Church St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
- both Ypsilanti, Michigan
First Baptist Church - Jackson, Michigan
St. Paul United Church of Christ - Saline, Michigan
Congregational Church - Tecumseh, Michigan
Waterloo Village United Methodist Church - Old and New
Bill made and donated the doors on the left before he married Marsi there in 1990.
He and his mother JoAnne made the panels for the new doors in 2005, and in 2006 the arched window was added.
Zion Lutheran Church - Chelsea, Michigan
Salems Church - Salem Township, Michigan
Salvation Army Chapel, Lansing, Michigan
about 12' wide x 6' tall
Salvation Army Chapel, Detroit, Michigan
about 5' wide x 6' tall
A sweet little country church - Munith Methodist, Munith, MI
Plainwell United Methodist Church
St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Mt. Clemens, Michigan Mausoleum
Private Collection
St. Mary Of Chelsea Bell Tower
Bill and Marsi were Artists-in-Residence at the 2003 Riverfolk Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Michigan. They taught a group of high school students the fundamentals of stained glass in a 6 week class. With help, they created three panels depicting local landmarks.
This one is of St. Mary's Church.
Whistlestop Train Depot - Grass Lake, Michigan
(one of 14 windows donated to their restoration project)
Private Collection
St. Jacob Lutheran Church - Grass Lake, Michigan
~ The Building of a Church Window ~
Window Design in Color Pattern Drawn to Size
Glass is cut and leaded Soldered and Patina Applied
Glass Artisan Bill Darwin II and Master Craftsman Carter Blocksma -
Blocksma drove the finished piece to Pennsylvania where it was installed.
A Cautionary Tale
Several years ago, we donated some windows to a local church. But when a series of windows inside that church were to be made, a firm in Ohio was hired at far greater expense than if Darwin's had been given a chance to bid the job. Many churches order windows from out of state and even from Europe at enormous cost. So if you are on your church's building or gifts committee, please be sure to check the local phone book or ask around for local contractors. You are not only supporting local craftspeople who are your friends and neighbors, but you will probably save a lot of money, too!
Please feel free to give us a call at (734)475-9730 or (800)589-4737, or e-mail us at the address below. We'd be very happy to meet with you at your convenience to discuss your needs.
You may view more of our work on the web at www.darwinstudio.com
 In Loving Memory of Roy Darwin, who started it all...  BACK TO Darwin's Main Page 
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