The Legacy of a Craftsman. The Soul of a City.

Glass by Daryl is the living expression of a lifelong devotion to artistry, perseverance, and heritage — born from the hands and heart of its creator, Daryl Thomas.

Daryl’s journey began in 1974 as a sophomore at Princeton High School in Sharonville, Ohio. Intent on turning talent into trade, he left to study Commercial Art at the newly opened Scarlet Oaks Vocational School, part of the Great Oaks system. By his senior year, Daryl had risen to Assistant Art Director, graduating in the top 10% of his class.

Following a brief enlistment in the United States Marine Corps, where he intended to pursue illustration and design, a medical discharge led him to Los Angeles. It was there, in 1978, that he discovered his passion for glass. He became the first employee of Mirroresque, a specialty glass design shop, where he mastered the craft of decorative glasswork under the mentorship of Kevin Hamilton. Within a year, Daryl was managing the shop — but his entrepreneurial spirit couldn’t be contained.

He soon launched his first independent venture, The Glass Connection, in Santa Monica, California. But Cincinnati called him home.

Back in Ohio, Daryl resumed his hustle — juggling jobs while acquiring tools and materials to reignite his artistic flame. From sidewalk sales at his childhood home, he began gaining local attention for his unmistakable talent.

In 1984, Bruce Ryan of Ryan’s All-Glass hired Daryl as a glazier. It was here that his technical knowledge deepened, learning to design, fabricate, and install nearly any type of glass. One afternoon, a customer casually requested a custom Kentucky Wildcats logo — a request that would change Daryl’s life. Word spread fast.

By 1988, A Cut Above the Rest: Custom Glass Designs by Renoir Pené was born in Lockland, Ohio. Daryl became known citywide as “The Glassman.” That same year, he was commissioned by members of the Cincinnati Bengals' 1988 Super Bowl team, cementing his reputation as a creative force.

Over the years, his work expanded to 35 states and reached clients in Hawaii, Canada, Mexico, England, the Caribbean, and as of 2024, Switzerland.

Yet life brings its own curves. After the loss of his father and growing responsibilities as a husband and father of four, Daryl closed the shop in 1994 and became a journeyman cement mason, later serving as an apprenticeship coordinator, instructor, and OSHA Safety Outreach Trainer. For 30 years, he poured his artistry into concrete by day — but glass never left his soul.

Now retired from the Cement Masons Local 132, Daryl has returned full circle to his first love.

Glass by Daryl has been reborn.

Today, he crafts custom heirloom-quality glass art from his home studio, continuing to serve private clients, small businesses, and admirers both near and far. His pieces often reach people he’s never met — gifts passed between friends, keepsakes with legacy woven in.

His new featured collection,
“CINCINNATI: A REFLECTION OF US”,
honors the people, culture, and spirit of the city that raised him.

This is more than glass.
This is history.
This is heritage.
This is Glass by Daryl.