Artist hopes stained-glass works bring identity to Stanwood, Camano Island

STANWOOD — Glass artist Jack Archibald wants Camano Island and Stanwood to have a cultural identity — an artistic element that’s special to the area.

The Camano Island man is doing his best to help establish that identity by donating his stained glass windows for use in public buildings.

Archibald’s donated work can be seen in the Stanwood and Camano senior centers, in fire stations on Camano Island, in parks, at a local animal shelter and now above the entrance to a community space at Housing Hope’s new Lincoln Hill Village apartment complex in Stanwood. The Everett-based Housing Hope nonprofit organization provides low-income housing at several locations throughout Snohomish County.

“I donate the work because I live here,” Archibald said. “It’s what people do in their communities.”

The artist makes a living by taking commissions for huge glass art windows, such as the one in the dining room at Cascade Valley Hospital in Arlington, the clock mural at Everett Station and a window at the entrance to the Portland, Ore., Fire Department headquarters.

His windows at the new Housing Hope complex are made with highly reflective dichroic glass, which includes layers of metal oxides, he said.

“Our hope was to make the windows pop out to the street. At night the windows should be really noticeable from the street corner,” Archibald said.

Archibald and his friend, window installer Bob Ansell, unveiled their donation of stained glass on Wednesday at the formal opening of the apartment complex on Lincoln Hill.

Called “Rise Up Singing,” the three-paneled piece greets people at the entrance of the community center provided for tenants of the apartments. The colorfully painted complex opens to an inner courtyard with play equipment and gardens commemorated to local philanthropists Floyd and Delores Jones, Archibald said.

“I think it’s incredible what Housing Hope has done, not just for providing for people who are struggling to find affordable housing, but toward creating a sense of community with caring outreach,” he said. “We should honor these efforts, and Bob and I wanted to do just that by creating windows that complement the vibrant colors of the complex.”

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.