Rita Shimelfarb: Combining Traditional Stained Glass with Contemporary Painting and Forming Techniques

The raw brilliance and color of glass are primary inspirations in Rita Shimelfarb’s work. The deeper she explores the technical side of working with glass, the more it leaves her in awe at the range of possibilities for something new and beautiful to emerge. Building upon the millennia-long tradition of stained glass art, Shimelfarb pushes her material beyond traditional imagery and conventional construction methods by utilizing both time-proven as well as innovative contemporary glass forming and painting techniques. By combining modern and traditional, play and purpose, she makes the seemingly conflicting entities sing together in harmony.

Shimelfarb’s unforgettable series, The Sacred Feminine Grace Archetypes, recognizes the universal interconnectedness and divine essence of all living beings. Through moving portraits of strong, wise and soulful female subjects, the work embodies beauty in movement, thought and action, reflecting an inner harmony that transcends physical appearance. This state is not just external; it is a quality that emanates from within, allowing individuals to navigate life’s challenges with poise and dignity. It’s an acknowledgment that life’s challenges are opportunities for growth, and by flowing with these experiences, one can find wisdom and serenity. 

States Shimelfarb: “The subjects I choose are meant to slow you down mentally for long enough to have the light start working its magic. To me, the purpose of my art is not about making you see something pretty, or having your brain analyze a specific story, or having your heart be overtaken by a specific emotion. It is more about the whole re-tunement. I feel that there is no end to the myriad ways glass allows me to do this. I prefer to mix the techniques, for instance, combining traditional glass painting and contemporary fused elements with dichroic glass. Engineering new ways to not just approximate, but zero in on evoking the exact frequency I am after is a never-ending quest, sometimes frustrating, sometimes surprising, but always hopeful and exciting.”  Born in the USSR in 1972, Shimelfarb immigrated to US from Ukraine in 1989. A refugee, she eventually made Chicago her home. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Math and Computer Science and finds her analytical background indispensable in solving various glass-construction challenges and in developing new processes for image and medium manipulation. She has worked extensively with her mentor Sylvia Laks, a celebrated stained glass painter, and has taken several glass forming and painting workshops with world renown glass artists.   Shimelfarb has exhibited her work nationwide and is included in numerous public and private collections. Commission work by her Glass Can Dance Studio has been featured on the cover of Ed Hoy’s catalog, at the Ronald McDonald House near Central Du Page Hospital, IL, and at Chute Middle School in Evanston, IL.  In 2025, Shimelfarb will teach a glass painting / mosaic workshop for Campanella Choir kids at the Children’s Educational Center Campanella in Northbrook, IL, March 15 – 16. The solo exhibition of her glass paintings there just closed January 18. She will also teach a glass painting workshop at Delphi Glass, Lansing, MI, April 19 – 20. Her work can be seen in a group show of Chicago area glass painters to take place in April and May at the Illumination Art and Design Gallery in Chicago as well as at EvanstonMade’s summer member exhibit. Meanwhile, there is a new series of glass paintings in progress on her bench with the working title Unintegrated.