Stained glass with stone and shell · 40.5 × 30 in. · Framed
Rocks and Shells was Dell’s favorite stained-glass piece he ever created. After its completion, he kept it hanging within his own living space, where its changing light and color became a source of energy for him throughout the remainder of his life.
The piece departs dramatically from conventional stained glass. Dell incorporated slices of richly colored stone directly into the window alongside shells, small circular elements, and individually cut pieces of glass. Translucent agates in fiery oranges, reds, creams, and golds reveal their natural rings and crystalline centers when illuminated. Shells and clusters of smaller forms gather between them, while long passages of blue, violet, green, white, and burgundy glass move vertically through the composition.
What makes the work particularly remarkable is Dell’s use of light. The stones were not merely decorative additions to the surface; their internal structures become visible because light passes through them. Patterns formed underground over immense periods of time suddenly glow in oranges, reds, and golds. Natural objects and Dell’s own hand are brought together by the same light.
The composition seems to grow upward from a dense concentration near the bottom, separating into two branching forms as it rises. It can suggest flowers, trees, coral, or something entirely abstract depending on how it is seen. Dell never forces the materials to completely surrender their original identities—the rocks remain rocks, the shells remain shells, and the glass remains brilliantly glass.
Of all the stained glass Dell made for his home, this was the piece he chose to keep closest to himself. It remained in his living space not simply because he considered it beautiful, but because he believed it gave him energy. Knowing that changes the way the work can be understood: Rocks and Shells was not merely something Dell made to be looked at. It was something he chose to live with.
Stained glass with stone and shell · 40.5 × 30 in. · Framed
Rocks and Shells was Dell’s favorite stained-glass piece he ever created. After its completion, he kept it hanging within his own living space, where its changing light and color became a source of energy for him throughout the remainder of his life.
The piece departs dramatically from conventional stained glass. Dell incorporated slices of richly colored stone directly into the window alongside shells, small circular elements, and individually cut pieces of glass. Translucent agates in fiery oranges, reds, creams, and golds reveal their natural rings and crystalline centers when illuminated. Shells and clusters of smaller forms gather between them, while long passages of blue, violet, green, white, and burgundy glass move vertically through the composition.
What makes the work particularly remarkable is Dell’s use of light. The stones were not merely decorative additions to the surface; their internal structures become visible because light passes through them. Patterns formed underground over immense periods of time suddenly glow in oranges, reds, and golds. Natural objects and Dell’s own hand are brought together by the same light.
The composition seems to grow upward from a dense concentration near the bottom, separating into two branching forms as it rises. It can suggest flowers, trees, coral, or something entirely abstract depending on how it is seen. Dell never forces the materials to completely surrender their original identities—the rocks remain rocks, the shells remain shells, and the glass remains brilliantly glass.
Of all the stained glass Dell made for his home, this was the piece he chose to keep closest to himself. It remained in his living space not simply because he considered it beautiful, but because he believed it gave him energy. Knowing that changes the way the work can be understood: Rocks and Shells was not merely something Dell made to be looked at. It was something he chose to live with.
