Growing up in the North Beach neighborhood on Long Beach Island, Mary Tantillo, artist and owner of SwellColors Glass Studio & Gallery, learned early that you never know where the tide might take you. In her 20s, she left the Jersey Shore for the opposite coast, settling first in Los Angeles and then Santa Cruz; an ocean away, but never away from the ocean.
While Tantillo reveals she wasn’t a particularly artsy child, that claim seems hard to believe upon stepping into her Surf City studio, with ribbons of light filtering through her colorful stained-glass creations. Her eye-catching, soul-soothing and breathtaking works embody the harmony of nature; the ocean a central theme.
Premier, a panel that is part of Mary Tantillo’s ‘Year of Suns’ collection. Photo courtesy of Mary Tantillo
She may not have recognized her childhood fascination with “glass melty crafts” as inherent creative flair; but, undoubtedly, sparks flew when she took her first glassworking class in California, taking a part-time job at Kiss My Glass in Santa Cruz to feed her new passion while working full time in Silicon Valley.
Time passed, her talent flowed and the tide turned, landing Tantillo back on LBI.
“A lot of stuff pulled me back to New Jersey, my family being the biggest reason. I got laid off when the tech bubble burst, and 9/11 really made me long to be closer to my roots,” she explained.
In the meantime, her stained-glass artistry overtook her corporate aspirations, so she opened a studio in her garage and called it SwellColors, the name “inspired by the ocean, waves, surfing and the beauty of it all.” Fully committing to feeding her craft in 2006, she opened the first SwellColors store in Haven Beach — an achievement Tantillo’s mother commemorated by presenting her with the first melted glass craft her little girl hands had long before fashioned.
Tantillo offers custom glass creations, like this ‘Porthole Wave,’ which was used in a client’s beach-inspired bathroom. Photo courtesy of Mary Tantillo
Tantillo’s first stained-glass window series, “100 Waves of Summer,” is a celebration of the sea — each piece unique in its colors, curves, textures and luminosity. The series took eight years to complete, including daily trips to the beach to drink in the inspiration. Panels from her “Year of Suns” series, still unfolding, are named for the seasons: “Ember” for winter, “Origin” for spring and “Puro Verano” for summer. Yet unnamed, the autumn sun collection is on the horizon.
“ ‘Puro Verano’ might be my favorite collection to date. Lots of vibrant colors and a summery vibe with each panel representing the sun or something energized by the sun,” Tantillo divulged. “Sunlight fuels growth, and this collection is inspired by this amazing energy source that keeps us alive.”
As with most works of art, the process to create a stained-glass masterpiece takes time. One 12-inch square can take four or five hours from conception to frame; as the pattern of the design is drawn then chromatic pieces of glass are selected, cut, cleaned and soldered together. Larger, custom windows can take from two to four weeks, depending on the client’s preferences for size, intricacy, color and hand blown versus machine-rolled glass.
Artist and owner of SwellColors Glass Studio & Gallery on Long Beach Island, Tantillo creates eye-catching, soul-soothing and breathtaking works that embody the harmony of nature. Photo courtesy of Mary Tantillo
Now happily settled in Surf City, SwellColors Glass Studio & Gallery is open year-round, her exquisite stained-glass designs — as well as fused glass ornaments, home décor and handmade jewelry crafted by fellow artists — on display to admire and purchase. Classes in mosaics, fused glass and stained glass are offered daily in summer, with walk-ins welcome but reservations appreciated or required for certain projects.
Of the countless creations over these past two decades — from her stained-glass windows to mosaic surfboards and everything in between — Tantillo is challenged to choose favorites.
“There have been a few pieces through the years I regretted selling, but usually my joy is in designing the work and seeing it done for the first time, knowing they are well-loved by the people that bought them,” she said. “I also like being surprised when I forget about a panel I made and then months later I get a few photos emailed to me of my artwork. It’s like visiting with an old friend.”
Visit SwellColors at 1715 Long Beach Blvd. in Surf City, at its second location at SwellColors North in Barnegat Light at Historic Viking Village, or at swellcolors.com.
Susan Kronberg is a freelance writer and Jersey girl. A married mother of two, she’s worked in insurance, transportation, marketing, newspapers and private education. Writing is but one thread that connects the patchwork of her professions.
This article originally appeared in the Summer 2021 issue of Jersey’s Best. Subscribe here for in-depth access to everything that makes the Garden State great.
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Made in Jersey: Stained-glass artist captures the swells of summer life - Jersey's Best
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