Daily Inspiration: Meet Jordan Dunn

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan Dunn.

Hi Jordan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Jordan Dunn, and I’ve lived in Los Angeles for nearly 10 years. I am a stained glass artist, and work full time as a marketing professional in the architecture & design industry. My stained glass practice is called Grunge Glassworks.

I have always had a creative outlet in some form – and that manifested in my career weaving between graphic design and marketing roles, but I had never directed that creative energy into one specific medium until I found stained glass.

For a number of years, my hobby was taking community arts classes. It didn’t matter the medium, I just enjoyed creating and making things with my hands. I like to say that an “in another life” career for me could have been prop design for movies and TV, and I like to imagine that is still a possibility.

In 2022 after lockdown was lifting, I was in need of group social interactions (like so many others), so I joined an 8 week stained glass window making class. What I loved about stained glass is that it combined my existing design skills with a very physical medium. Working with my hands comes natural to me, as I come from 3 generations of dairy farmers and grew up on a working farm. Although I’m not quite doing actual manual labor, breaking glass and working with metal still scratch that itch.

Nearly 5 years into the craft and I primarily work out of my home studio, although I do still attend my weekly studio session that I started back in 2022. At this point it feels like a ritual to keep me engaged with the artwork and keep me social.

In June of 2026 I showed my debut collection at the Circus of Books Gallery in West Hollywood. The opportunity to debut a collection of queer-centered work, in an historic place like Circus of Books, during pride month, was an incredible honor.

I had been very intentional in keeping this craft as a hobby for years to prevent myself from burnout, but I as my skills and goals have grown I have gotten opportunities for both commercial work, private commissions, and online sales.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I would say the road has been smooth. I am the type of person who is very intentional in maintaining a low stress level, and making sure I have a creative outlet has always been important in that. My stained glass practice has served as my primary creative outlet for the last few years.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Working in the Architecture & Design industry, I am surrounded by inspiration that I bring into my glass work. For my more commercial pieces I am inspired by abstracting architectural forms into simple shapes. As an example, one of my stained glass designs was inspired by a piece of furniture I loved. I took the shaped from the furniture and turned them into a mid-century inspired design.

The other side of my work has an entirely different inspiration. I have also been drawn to the juxtaposition of queer erotica within the medium of stained glass — an artform that is historically linked to the church. This medium has been used for centuries to tell stories, and I think using it to depict queer themes is punk in its own way.

This is where my debut collection, Bodies Refracted, fit in. The collection directly pointed to the juxtaposition I mentioned before, putting on display the bodies and identities once condemned by the very institution that first claimed stained glass as its own.

Moving forward in my work, I am looking forward to exploring that balance of commercial, architectural inspired work and the queer-erotica inspired collections.

What makes you happy?
Spending time with the important people in my life. Having so many friends and acquaintances show up for my gallery opening was such a special moment in my artistic journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://grungeglass.works/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grunge_glassworks/

Image Credits
Jordan Dunn | Grunge Glassworks