Meet Justin Urbantas | blacksmith and stained glass artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Justin Urbantas and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Justin, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
When my wife was pregnant with our first child, I went back to work while she was on maternity leave. As we were nearing the end of maternity leave, we made the decision that she would go back to work full time, and I would be the stay at home parent. This has given me the opportunity to spend much more time with my kids than if I was working. I work on stained glass and other projects in between home and kid tasks.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I got started in stained glass during the pandemic in 2020. Someone locally was selling a beautiful orca and ocean piece that was truly incredible. The asking price of $500 for the piece was fair, but more than I had to spend on it at the time. I decided instead to save up and invest that $500 into tools, supplies and workshop space in the basement.
Watching youtube videos really helped me with the basics, and got me fired up to learn more techniques.
After learning from youtube videos, I joined some Facebook pages where fellow glass artists share tips, tricks and their projects. These groups have really helped me advance as far as my skiils.
Finding a good venue to sell has been tricky. Etsy has mostly been a bust, as the fees and competition from overseas sellers makes it difficult for sales.
Craft shows, art shows, farmer’s markets have all been positive experiences.
I do some sales through facebook marketplace and my facebook page, but most is face to face or word of mouth.
Last year I set up solar power for the shop, so I can run my tools and lights on sustainable power.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would seek out some live music, a good bbq joint, maybe a museum or park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family has been the biggest support for my stained glass endeavour. I’ve sold many pieces to family, and friends. It is a huge boost to have the support and encouragement of those close to you. My wife has been super encouraging, and helps me with making patterns.

Website: in development

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meskairon/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067885341101

Other: my website is under contstruction, and hopefully will be live in the next few weeks