Artist Profile: John McCleer

Glass House Art

By Julie Senger

While Roswell resident, John McCleer, has been involved in some facet of the art industry for over 45 years, he didnt come by his current artistic passion in the traditional sense. Rather than apprenticing or going to a four-year art school to hone his talent, he gathered something of use from several of his work experiences and business ventures along the way.

Johns first part-time job was working in a custom frame shop, where he learned how to cut glass with precision and build custom frames for its clients. Later, he would go on to own or work for various companies who dealt in interior design, manufacturing furniture, oriental rugs, or compiling corporate art collections for companies and country clubs all over the world. He would be given the portion of the overall budget for how much a company wanted to spend adorning their facilities with one-of-a-kind works, for which he had to seriously consider the way certain colors and types of lines or subject matter within a work might positively or negatively affect the mood of that companys environment or its clientele.

Eventually, John was looking to begin a retirement business, so he pulled from all the knowledge and skills hed acquired over the years to found Glass House Art, LLC and began creating his delicate works of art that patrons from all over the world have come to love and enjoy. While John creates beautiful, custom glass windows for businesses and homes and replicates personal things from his clients photographs, such as cars or motorcycles, his passion and niche has been replicating his clients pets. Its wonderfully amazing to see the bond people have with their animals, and the lengths to which they will go to commemorate them, John said.

For example, one client of Johns had a sister who lost her beloved dog, Reya. John created a glass mosaic based on a photo of Reya, which was so detailed and accurate, that when he and the family of Reyas owner gathered to surprise her with the piece, she automatically knew it was her dog, and was moved to tears because of her instant connection with it.  John stated, It was a beautiful moment. We were all very emotional as we watched Reyas owner continually touch the image in the glass, as though doing so allowed her to touch Reya again. This is why we do this, said John. This is why we spend weeks looking for the perfect colors of glass, with the perfect grains and textures, and then painstakingly do every bit of the construction by hand, no machines. Its a comforting, relaxing, labor of love, and at the end of all of that effort, you get to see that something youve poured yourself into produces this type of reaction and connection.

Johns work can be found for sale on Etsy, or samples of his work can be found at GlassHouseArt.com or on Facebook.  He can be contacted at 404-272-9333 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss producing a special, personal works of art.

GlassHouseArt.com