Although glass is beautiful without adornment, since the early days of stained glass making artists have used it as a background for painting. My stained glass often incorporates painted decoration, created using brushes, or by scraping away paint to reveal the glass colour underneath (sgraffito). Once painted, the glass pieces are fired in a kiln to bond the paint permanently to the surface. The pieces are then assembled using lead and/or copper foiling to make the finished window, panel or sculpture.