Marcy Anhalt and her husband, Bill, put up the last of a trio of stained glass windows at Old Toby in Chehalis on Tuesday morning.
Bill Anhalt helps put up stained glass windows that were made by his wife, Marcy, on Tuesday morning at Old Toby in Chehalis. Marcy created three Lord of the Rings-themed stained glass windows for the Mint City recreational marijuana shop.
Marcy Anhalt and her husband, Bill, put up the last of a trio of stained glass windows at Old Toby in Chehalis on Tuesday morning.
Marcy Anhalt shows the soldered lead that holds each piece of glass together in her Lord of the Rings themed stained glass windows for Old Toby in Chehalis.
Marcy Anhalt cleans one of the windows where her stained glass windows will be placed at Old Toby's in Chehalis on Tuesday morning.
Light filtered through the colorful creation of a stained glass window at Old Toby’s Recreational Marijuana Dispensary in Chehalis on Tuesday as the last of three panels were installed at the NW State Avenue recreational marijuana shop.
The third window was based off J.R.R. Tolkien’s book cover illustration of a hobbit house from 1916.
The other two windows also depict scenes inspired by The Hobbit, a book from which the business derives its name.
Co-owner Dash Paine said Old Toby was a strain of three types of weeds mentioned by name in The Hobbit. Bilbo Baggins and Wizard Gandalf had Old Toby in their pipes in both the books and the Peter Jackson films.
The other stained glass works of art featured the wizard himself with an owl, and another depicts a dragon guarding a pot of gold.
Stained glass artist Marcy Anholt said the tryptic was her first Hobbit-inspired piece, and also her first commissioned piece for a marijuana dispensary.
She’s been making stained glass art for 36 years. She originally started because her husband at the time blew glass. She figured stained glass would be the perfect addition to their store.
The 53-inch by 37-inch window took about 20 minutes to install.
“I think it’s beautiful,”said Jerrie Paine, co-owner of Old Toby’s.
Anholt said she typically starts with a large paper pattern, which she numbers and uses like a puzzle to figure out where each piece of glass will be placed. From there, she takes a large piece of glass and cuts it with a diamond wheel cutter into the appropriate shape and size.
All of the cutting, grinding and hand-leading is done by Anholt herself to ensure a unique product.
Her work is featured in churches throughout the country, including Pennsylvania, California, Ohio and Massachusetts.
“I love to think when people are praying they’re looking up at my stained glass,” she said.
Originally from the Lewis County area, for 30 years she traveled the U.S. with her current husband, Bill, who was in the military. She then moved back to Chehalis about six years ago. Shortly thereafter, she joined ARTrails and has been featured in the studio tours for four years.
Her works of art are also featured in businesses and homes.
Anholt prides herself on traditional-styled stained glass using the best materials possible. Creating her artwork has become a full-time venture.
Her newest work can be seen at Old Toby’s, but there is more to be installed shortly.
She’s currently working on another piece, which will be ready for installation at the end of the month at the Chehalis Seventh-day Adventist Church.
