Robert Lalah, Assistant Editor - Features

As he reaches into a wooden cupboard inside his small workshop/kitchen, it's hard not to marvel at the man's dexterity. He's 83 after all, yet moves with the agility of an 18-year-old. He seems to just keep going (all day long), and exhibits signs that he's unaware of his own age.

But that's not what makes Dudley Ball stand out. The retiree is one of only a handful of locals who are experts in the art of staining glass. For those not hip to the staining scene, it's a delicate art that involves cutting different kinds of glass in various colours and fusing them all together into beautiful patterns. The best known examples of these creations are the stained glass windows at many churches across the country.

It was 18 years ago that Ball retired from years of travelling the world as a regional representative of a pharmaceutical company. He suddenly found himself with a whole lot of time on his hands and an urge to finally take seriously a hobby he has had since he was a teenager.

"I've always been somewhat artistic, but it wasn't something I was able to spend much time on. It was always in the back of my mind though," he said, wiping dust from a lamp shade he created some years ago.

Ball was standing inside his kitchen, which doubles as his workshop at his home in New Kingston. His eyes focused on his latest project, a window for a local church, as jazz musician Duke Ellington's Take it Easy blared through speakers all over the house. "The music helps me work," he said, going on to explain how he chooses the glass he works with.

"You have all different kinds. The cost will range according to the quality. For friends, I try to use the best," he said, smiling.

Ball has made close to 100 shades since he retired, each one taking a few weeks to complete. Really detailed, complex designs will take much longer.

"But, hey, I have time," he laughed.

Though highly regarded by those who fancy stained glass creations, Ball has never sold any of his shades. "That would take the fun factor out of it. People offer to buy them all the time, but I much rather giving them away," he said.

And that he does. Most of the lampshades Ball has created over the years have been for family, friends, or wives of friends. "I get great joy from seeing people enjoy my work. It makes the time I spent working on them quite worth it."

He was first introduced to the art while living in Canada as a young man. He had visited the shop of a woman in his community, who was herself an expert in the craft, and was immediately hooked.

"I was fascinated! I told myself that whenever I had some time I would want to learn this."

So when he retired, Ball spent all his free time perfecting his craft, at one time moving into the basement at the home of an Asian couple he befriended in Canada. They, too, were staining fanatics, and with their help Ball bettered his skill.

"I think I am fairly good now," he smiled, "but I leave that up to others to decide."

The surge in requests for Ball's creations have led him to consider starting a class. "If there are enough persons interested I may just do that," he said.

It may actually go well for him. There aren't many places in Jamaica where the skill is taught. Even the material, Ball said, has to be bought abroad.

"But if this thing catches on, all that could change. If people realise how fun it is they will latch on to it, just as I did."