| behind the brush |
32 LAKE OCONEE LIVING | WINTER 2021
Paul Heller installs a stage sign at a Nashville live music
venue, The Local.
for four summers at a boat rental.
I learned a great deal of carpentry
and fiberglass techniques that
have become integral to my work
now in constructing the lit 3-D
forms.”
His current line of lake-themed
pieces include sailboats, fish
and lighthouses. Heller plans to
expand that theme to create boathouses;
and murals with subject
elements including multi-deck
docks, sailboats, fishing, waterskiing
and canoeing and kayaking.
“Sailing is my favorite life activity;
get me out on a Hobie Cat in
gusty wind conditions and I’m in
my element. Combining two of my
passions, glass art and being on
the water has been a great way to
interact with others in the sailing
community. I have been able to
create many different sailboats including
my latest with
a billowing spinnaker,”
shares Heller.
Heller pioneered this
burgeoning artform to
make it his own after
years of experimentation
and brainstorming
with tradespeople
who had a knack for
his vision.
“Unlike a stainedglass
artist, my craft is
done without leading.
Like mosaic artists, I
mount glass to a form;
however, I use much
larger pieces of glass
and clear adhesives
to allow light to shine
through,” explains Heller.
The road to artistry was a long
and winding one for Heller, who
did not launch his artistic career
until after he retired at the age of
50.
“Art is an amazing endeavor
later in life that has allowed me
to reinvent myself in a totally new
arena. I adore being in this art
zone where passionate creativity
abounds and time flies by,” revels
Heller. “For decades as an Atlantan
hotelier, I was busy building my
business, helping raise three great
sons and coaching. After retiring,
my first pursuit was teaching as an
adjunct professor at Atlanta business
schools. My next seemingly
casual interest was taking a class
in mosaics at the age of 55. With
my love of live music, my first
project was making an acoustic
guitar. Months later this guitar
ended up in a recording studio in
Nashville and this casual interest
suddenly became a passionate
pursuit.”
Now, Heller happily partners
with clients to craft the perfect
illuminated stained-glass piece
that captures their own interests,
styles, and sentimental memories.
“I enjoy collaborating with my
clients to develop the size, coloration
and details to get them truly
excited. This results in a treasured
artform that lights up their lives,”
says Heller.
To learn more about Heller’s illuminated
glass pieces, visit paulhellerart.
com.
Heller begins by cutting a wood outline of the art piece
with a jigsaw. He then creates a light box with an outer
metal band and wires long-lasting LEDs to provide
illumination to the piece. Finally, he cuts and mounts
the glass onto the light box form to create the finished
piece.