Lundgren Monuments is the collaboration between two professional glass artists, Jim Nelsen and Greg Lundgren.  Jim Nelsen is the founder of Seattle Stained Glass Inc., Seattle’s largest and most diverse custom glass studio.  He holds over thirty years of art glass experience and knowledge, ranging from fabrication, repair and custom design, to historical restoration.   Under his direction, Seattle Stained Glass has multiplied in size and scale of projects, employees the finest traditional glass craftsman and produces an array of custom glass projects for an international clientele.  For an example of this work, please visit: www.seattlestainedglass.com.  Greg Lundgren has been the lead designer with Seattle Stained Glass for 9 years and helped direct this growth and diversity of projects.  His professional background spans furniture and theatrical set design, and fine art in multiple mediums.  His designs have been commissioned by Paramount Pictures, Disneyland, Marshall Fields, Burberry’s of London, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and a multitude of private clients. 

As Seattle Stained Glass expanded it’s operations, Jim Nelsen and Greg Lundgren began exploring the applications of cast glass as an architectural medium.  Soon cast glass walls, floors, signage, tabletops and sinks started to emerge from the studio.  The medium was easy to fall in love. As their experience grew, so did their imaginations and new applications began to surface weekly.  In the winter of 2002, Jim and Greg realized that cast glass was a medium of the future and that their demand was only increasing.  It was decided that a larger studio was needed, that we required more kilns to keep up with the demand and in the back of both their minds, they knew that a new application lingered just beyond focus.

As a traditional stained glass designer, Greg Lundgren often met with the religious community to consult and design large-scale leaded glass windows for their sanctuaries.  While church sanctuaries are most common, many cemeteries and funeral parks also provide places of worship.  As Greg drove through the gates he saw the manicured grounds of the cemetery and hundreds upon hundreds of granite headstones standing dark and homogenous.  Granite is 87 percent silica.  Cast glass was the new alternative to granite countertops, granite floors- there was no reason cast glass could not be an alternative to granite headstones.  Looking out over an expansive lawn of dark rock markers, Lundgren saw for the first time, translucent glass memorials, ethereal, glowing in the morning light, beacons against a drab landscape.  The first prototype was completed   five weeks later and it glowed in the morning sun.  It was unlike anything we had ever seen.

back to top