I'll never forget the day Oddy walked into my workshop with a sketch that would change everything. It was early 2021, during that strange pandemic lull when Bali felt both empty and full of possibility. "Bro," he said with that mischievous grin I hadn't seen in years, "I've got a project for The Vinyl Lounge in Canggu. They want Jimi, Pac, and Biggie in stained glass. Just you and me, like old times." As I looked at his rough drawings of Hendrix's afro, Tupac's bandana, and Biggie's crown, I felt that familiar spark—the one that comes when art chooses you rather than the other way around.
Reuniting with Oddy: Artistic Brothers Again
Oddy and I go way back—like "we were both broke artists living in a shared compound in Seminyak" way back. Before he became Canggu's go-to muralist, we'd spend nights drinking Bintang and dreaming about making art that mattered. When he moved to Jakarta for a few years and made a name for himself, I was proud but also a little jealous. Now here he was, asking me to collaborate on what he called "the most personal project of his career."
"These aren't just celebrities," he explained as we sat on my workshop floor surrounded by his sketches. "They're cultural touchstones. Jimi represents creative freedom. Pac embodies social consciousness. Biggie is the voice of the streets. Together, they're the soundtrack to a generation." I could see the passion in his eyes—the same fire I remembered from our early days. This wasn't just another commission; it was a tribute.
The Challenge of Portraits in Glass
Creating recognizable portraits in stained glass is one of the most difficult challenges in our craft. Unlike geometric patterns or abstract designs, faces demand precision. A millimeter off in the placement of an eye, and Hendrix becomes unrecognizable. I remember my first attempt at Tupac's distinctive scar—it looked more like a crack in the glass than a facial feature.
What saved us was Oddy's background in photorealistic murals. He taught me how to "see" the faces differently—not as collections of features, but as landscapes of light and shadow. We developed a technique where we'd create multiple layers of glass: a base layer for the overall skin tone, a middle layer for defining features, and a top layer of painted details that would catch the light just right. For Hendrix's afro, we used a special textured glass that mimicked the curl of his hair when backlit.
Two Months of Soul and Glass
The two months we spent creating these murals were some of the most intense—and rewarding—of my career. Oddy would arrive at dawn with his sketchbook, and I'd have the workshop prepped with glass cut to his latest designs. We'd work in companionable silence for hours, only breaking to listen to the very music that inspired our work. Jimi's "Purple Haze" playing as we shaped his portrait. "Dear Mama" echoing through the workshop as we perfected Tupac's gentle expression. "Juicy" blasting when we finally nailed Biggie's iconic crown.
What most people don't realize is that stained glass portraits require a completely different approach than murals on walls. The glass has to work both as a standalone image and as a medium for light. We spent countless hours testing how different glasses would look when backlit versus when viewed from the street during daylight. For Tupac's bandana, we discovered that a particular blue glass looked perfect during the day but turned muddy at night—so we had to find a compromise that worked in all lighting conditions.
Key Technical Breakthroughs:
- Layered Glass Technique: Using multiple layers of glass to create depth and dimension in facial features that would hold up at different lighting angles
- Custom Paint Formulas: Developing special vitreous paints that could capture subtle skin tones while remaining transparent enough for backlighting
- Dynamic Composition: Arranging the three portraits to create a visual narrative that guides viewers through the artists' shared legacy
- Light Integration: Working with the bar's lighting designer to ensure the glass would glow with the perfect intensity at night without overwhelming the space
- Cultural Sensitivity: Consulting with music historians to ensure our depictions honored the artists' legacies while remaining authentic to their visual identities
Opening Night: When the Glass Came Alive
The installation day was nerve-wracking. Unlike traditional murals that can be touched up on-site, stained glass is permanent the moment it's installed. As we lifted Hendrix's portrait into place above the bar, I held my breath, worried that months of work might not translate to the actual space. Then the sun hit it just right, and something magical happened.
The glass didn't just show their faces—it seemed to capture their essence. Hendrix's portrait glowed with that otherworldly energy he had on stage. Tupac's eyes had that familiar intensity, but also a tenderness that made you want to sit and listen. And Biggie's crown seemed to actually shimmer, like it was lit from within. As the night wore on and the bar lights dimmed, the portraits transformed. They weren't just images on a wall—they were living presences in the room.
I'll never forget the moment a group of older patrons recognized themselves in the crowd at Woodstock in Hendrix's portrait background, or when a young woman broke down in front of Tupac's mural, explaining how his music got her through a difficult childhood. That's when I knew we'd done more than create art—we'd created connection.
Two Years Later: The Legacy Lives On
It's been over two years since we completed the project, and The Vinyl Lounge has become a pilgrimage site for music lovers. People come from all over Bali just to see the glass in different lighting conditions. I've watched as parents point out the portraits to their children, explaining who these artists were and why they mattered.
What touches me most is how the glass has taken on a life of its own. During the rainy season, the water droplets on the outside create a natural diffusion effect that makes the portraits seem almost ethereal. In the dry season, the intense Balinese sun brings out details we didn't even know were there. And every time a new album plays over the speakers, it's like the portraits react—Hendrix seems to move with psychedelic rock, Tupac with conscious hip-hop, Biggie with that golden-era flow.
For Oddy and me, this project was a reminder of why we became artists in the first place—to create something that matters, something that connects people across time and space. As we stood at the two-year anniversary celebration, listening to a local band cover "All Along the Watchtower" beneath Hendrix's glowing portrait, Oddy put his hand on my shoulder and said, "This is what we were meant to do, Luca. Not just make art, but make magic."
Your Story in Glass
Creating these music icon murals taught me that the most powerful art doesn't just decorate a space—it becomes part of its soul. Whether you're honoring personal heroes or creating something entirely new, glass has the power to transform ordinary spaces into places of meaning and connection.
Every space has its own story waiting to be told through light and color. Just as these portraits have become a living part of Canggu's cultural landscape, your space can become a testament to what matters most to you.
Create Your Glass Story