Fred Varney was born in 1947 in Springfield, Massachusetts. Known as the “City of Homes”, many of its fine dwellings featured stained or leaded glass. He remembers noticing and looking for stained glass at an early age. Fred attended Clarkson College in Potsdam, New York from 1966 to 1969. He then moved to Vermont in 1970 buying land in South Woodbury. Just prior to moving to Vermont he began working with glass. Restoring some damaged windows for his future Vermont home and constructing a lamp from leftover pieces were his first experiences with glass. After building his own home and barn in Woodbury he worked as a designer/builder of custom homes for a few years before turning to glass full time. His present residence/studio/barn is also self built. Fred took up life-drawing in the mid 1980’s when he was commissioned to produce several figurative windows for the United Church in Hardwick, Vermont. He has studied with several artist groups and individuals including Pat De Gorgoza and Jim Gahagan, Adele Dawson, Marie La Pre Grabon, Bill Brauer, and Compost Arts Center. He took up Pastel in 1985. His works in this medium have been widely exhibited since his first show in 1986. Over the years Fred has completed hundreds of commissions and autonomous works: free standing glass clocks with curved “slump glass” sides, original design “Tiffany Type” lamps, skylights, and numerous windows. A love of drawing and designing, a fascination with the beauty of the glass itself, and a desire to work with his hands made stained glass a natural career choice for Fred.