One of the most exciting opportunities that glass presents to the painter is multiple layers. This can be approached in two ways. The first is with the paint itself. I generally paint the back side of the glass, the side that is opposite the viewer. Because of this, the process of layering paint requires me to think backwards. Unlike traditional painting on canvas, the first application of paint ends up being on "top", or the highlights or details closest to the viewer. The layers of paint that follow afterwards all add depth, additional hues, or background to that initial application of paint. For example, if I know that a wildflower is the closest object to the viewer, I will paint it first, and then add the remaining layers of paint that create the blades of grass, the leaves, and finally the dark shadows beneath that wildflower.

The second process of layering happens with the panes of glass. I use two, three, or four panes of glass to make one painting. Each part of the image, foreground, middle-ground, and background have their own pane of glass, which heightens the illusion of depth. The final layer of background can be painted on the back of the box which displays each painting.