Japanese elements glass panel

the elements as stylized in traditional Japanese sumi-e (ink brush) art; or more recently, the backgrounds of tattoos (irezumi). a piece I did in my traditional stained-glass painting class. the painting is done in layers, and kiln fired after each layer. the shading uses a subtractive technique, where you cover the whole area with a thin coat and then scrape away the highlights. in retrospect, I wish I had done the clouds on clear glass instead of white; it stands out too much as the only opaque piece.