Opening the door into an Artist’s Life

H. Carl Trimble III

Stained Glass Artist – MFA, University of North Texas

“Stained Glass transforms light the way that the gospel can transform the souls of men,” Carl Trimble said.

I’m always intrigued with how an artist connects with a particular medium and was curious why Carl chose to pursue stained glass art as his profession.  His statement provoked an ah-ha moment in me.  Have you ever been at a religious service and caught yourself looking through the window at just the right moment when the sun magically makes the stained glass light up?   Carl helps make this simple pleasure possible through his artistic talent.

Carl’s journey towards finding his passion was as unique as any other artist.  He served in the Navy on the USS Somers and still uses his electrician skills within his craft today.  When the navy ship would dock at San Diego, Carl remembers that his recreation activity was atypical of other servicemen as he would spend hours at an art studio situated across from Balboa Park.  He thoroughly enjoyed watching artists draw, paint and was particularly interested in stained glass art.

He eventually returned to his hometown of Tyler and followed his father’s footsteps as an insurance salesman.   He recalls being fascinated with  a stained glass window on an Episcopal Church in downtown Tyler that he would periodically pass on the street as he was making sales calls.

His tipping point came in 1967 when he read a small article in a  magazine that spelled out a three-point procedure on how stained glass art was created.  He thought to himself, “I can do that.”   From that point on, Carl closed the door on his insurance career and opened up the window to perfecting his craft as a stained glass artist.  He has been gracing North Texas with his stained glass creations.  You’ll see his stained glass art pieces at The Petroleum Club in Ft. Worth, C.R. Smith Museum at American Airlines Training Center, Glen Eagles Country Club, Park Cities Club, Criswell Center of First Baptist Church in Dallas, St. John The Apostle Catholic Church in North Richland Hills, Baha’i Center of Lewisville and The Mansion at Turtle Creek. Outside of Texas, you’ll see distinct pieces of Carl’s work in various states from New Jersey to Florida.

His work has been shown in AIA Retrospect: the only non-architect that has ever been displayed in this annual exhibition held at Northpark Mall.

Trimble Studios, located at 10031 Monroe Drive #202 in Dallas is the only stained glass artist studio that is a professional affiliate of AIA Dallas. 

You can view their photo gallery of stained glass creations at www.trimblestudios.com

For more information, contact Carl Trimble at 214-350-3794 or  carl@trimblestudios.com