Retirement is the time to relax, kick back, play with the grandkids and travel. For Ron Sussman, of Ron’s Glass, he’s busier now than when he was working full time.

Stained glass was a hobby for Ron while he was teaching full time at Taylor School District. I love it.” he exclaims about his glass. “It’s totally relaxing and I’m totally focused when I work. I started out using Jewish iconic themes and worked to reinterpret them. One of my signature pieces combines a hamsa (a Middle Eastern symbol for good luck) and doves (representing peace). It’s inspiring to me when I can incorporate these two ideas into one piece. The more modern pieces allow me greater freedom to experiment with various kinds of glass and designs.”

Ron enrolled in a stained glass class 20 years ago through Ann Arbor Rec & Ed and created a few pieces. Due to the demands of a growing family and his full-time job, Ron shelved his glass aspirations and loaned his equipment to a friend.

When Ron retired from Taylor, the change offered him a new opportunity to reengage in stained glass. “I’ve always been intrigued by the textures and qualities of glass. I had some green and pink glass. It was winter and the glass seemed cheerful. I created an abstract piece, which caught the light and provided a contrast with the gray and gloom outside. I used that same design with blue glass and then glass in shades of violet. Each time the mood changed so drastically it hardly looked like the same design. Walking by that piece always makes me smile.”

Ron explains, “It never occurred to me to sell my pieces, I thought I was just going to spend my retirement days working on glass for myself and my family. When people started commenting on my art and asked if it were for sale, I decided I needed a way to market my art. People seem to want and need art in their lives, even in these challenging economic times. I created a piece called the “Tree of Knowledge,” which was commissioned by the Dean of the School of Education. An ex-student contacted me to make a pink ribbon for her mother, a breast cancer survivor. I made a chickadee for my son’s girlfriend. Over the last year my blog had over 8,000 hits and people are discovering my glass from Facebook.”

Ron also works for the U of M School of Education in World Languages as a lecturer; he works with pre-student and student teachers. He serves as the ritual assistant at Beth Israel Congregation, working with families to prepare students for their Bar/Bat Mitzvah. Still, Ron finds time to volunteer, “In my spare time, I work with a local youth group,” he adds. Last January, Ron had two small strokes. He says, “One of the first things I thought about was if I would be able to return to my creative passion.” After a few months, he was able to continue sketching designs and worked his way back into his glass. His glass continued to be his creative outlet, and was his therapy as well. He’s recovered and he’s back in his studio full time. Or as near to full time as Ron can manage with all his other commitments.


Ron’s Glass
Ron Sussman
Phone: 313.702.3116
Blog: http://ronsglass.wordpress.com