Robert Schatz
A cut away from science
Creating stained glass gives professor another outlet for imaginative, precise mind By Susan Salk (Northeastern Voice - June 19, 2009 Edition)
Robert Schatz is probably the only faculty member, or among a rare few, who has stained glass in his office. It hangs from his windows and bookshelves, brightly colorful. Abstract representations of flowers and birds intertwine with abundantly growing plants growing wild, nearly obscuring his bookshelves. In the middle of it all, at his desk, sits the pharmaceutical sciences professor who, when he isn’t deep in contemplation of toxicology work, is often painstakingly piecing colored glass into representations of nature, abstracts, or ancient symbols.
His interest in making stained glass - he has made more than 60 works since he started his hobby 15 years ago - while gazing up at the European cathedrals he toured in 1978. “I’ve always liked rocks, wood and natural things” Schatz said. “When I went on the European conference in 78, I was amazed by the stained glass. It was very powerful.”
Before long, he was enrolled in a continuing education class, one man in a class of 19 women, learning to lay out his design, cut the pattern in glass, and grind the near-finished product into adaptations of the world around him. “Each piece is part of a stop-and-go process,” he said. “I’ll work on one for a while, set it aside, and take it back up again.”
Over the years, he has crafted gifts for family, and friends, and amassed such a large collection in his apartment that his neighbors have come to know and admire his handiwork. “I have stained glass in all of my windows. It’s beautiful. A lot of my windows face east, so it lights up in the morning.” Contrasting his hobby with his vocation, Schatz notes that he is pretty compulsive about getting things right.
The Director of Toxicology program has devoted his research to study of the respiratory effects of drug compounds. Although the making of stained glass, and the laboratory testing of compounds are radically different pursuits, Schatz admits creating a glass piece is a delicate and imaginative exercise. “You have to work in such a way that your cuts have to be clean without breaking the glass,” he said. “I can’t say it has anything to do with my science. It’s a way of starting with nothing and creating something that people like.”