Barry Z. Masser attended The Institute of Design at The Illinois Institute of Technology, and The Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, studying under the direction of Ruth Van Sickle Ford. From that background, he spent his early career in commercial art and design, and writing several non-fiction books published by Simon & Schuster and Macmillan Free Press.

Captivated by the design possibilities in the purity and brilliance of glass - but not satisfied with the visual results of single-layer glass windows - Masser reached back to 19^th century technology and revived L.C. Tiffany’s plating techniques, an approach that makes possible the creation of highly realistic scenes. This process of "painting with glass" is done by using two to four layers (or more) of superimposed glass to achieve lifelike hues, shadows, textures, and depth.

Mr. Masser’s company, Plated Glass Designs, based in Bellingham, Washington, creates designs and produces pattern kits and plating how-to books for major glass supply distributors.