It’s a long process, but the outcome is spectacular.

Daisy Mae Valentine, a 25-year-old Lansford artist, creates stained glass projects - a craft she never expected to call her expertise.

“I like to say that I’m a jack-of-all-trades,” Valentine said. “There is nothing that I can’t do, and I like to try new things, even if I think I can’t, I go ahead and try it anyway.”

Valentine graduated from Lehigh Carbon Community College with an associate degree in fine arts/studio arts. From there, Valentine earned a bachelor’s in fine arts in crafts from Kutztown University in 2020, where she specialized in ceramics and glaze chemistry.

“I loved ceramics and painting. Art was my favorite class in high school, and I didn’t like anything else. I was unsure what I wanted to major it, but I knew I loved the arts.”

While at Kutztown, Valentine said she even made a bit of history in the arts department.

“I created the biggest ceramic vessel - a tub that survived both reduction cycles in cone, six kiln firings,” Valentine said. The kiln was on its last life, pushing through. I remember my professor had to keep an eye on the kiln, because it would shut off during the firings and that’s not safe.”

Valentine found her niche with glass after attending a weeklong seminar, where she had an opportunity to study Neile Cooper, a stained-glass artist from New Jersey.

“I don’t see stained glass many places around here, only on the churches. … I’ve read it’s a dead medium, but it’s coming back and becoming popular again.”

Valentine has been working on a stained-glass piece of 504 pieces. Her largest project ever included 700 pieces. The 500-piece project is a part of a four-panel room divider, which she has been working on for months.

“It’s such a tedious process because there are so many steps. You start out with the painting, I have to sketch it two different times - one is cut into pieces, while the other one is a map. Then I have to label them. I take them, glue them to the glass, cut them, grind them, clean them off,” Valentine explained.

Valentine said she specializes in many mediums. She favors working with hands-on materials opposed to computer arts.

She hopes to sell her work and is working on establishing a website.

“It’s takes so long to do, and some parts I don’t like doing - I don’t like copper foiling each piece. But once it’s completely done, it feels like all of the hard work that I did was absolutely worth everything.”

In addition to art, Valentine enjoys dancing, playing the guitar and competing in something unique across the country.

“I’ve competed in the National American Miss Pageant as a State Finalist from 2012-2015 and the National All American Miss Pageant as Miss Schuylkill County in 2016 in Anaheim, California,” Valentine said. “Recently, I competed in the American Royal Beauties Pageant in Cincinnati, as Miss Mid-Atlantic, and I plan to continue competing.”