Glass transformed at Art Glass Connection in Cooper City

Wandering around this shop, you’ll savor the potential of glass.

Sometimes it’s playful, as when shaped into a bevy of blue fish that dangles from a spiraling wire.

Sometimes it’s ready to work, like the oval relish dish patterned with flecks of red.

Occasionally, it sets a scene, such as a stained glass mermaid posed on a reef. Or a mauve vintage vehicle parked at Fort Lauderdale beach, palm trees in the background.

Joanna Vitale, owner of Art Glass Connection in Cooper City, started tinkering with stained glass years ago as a hobby. From there, she added other techniques to her repertoire. She uses bits and pieces of colored glass to form mosaic patterns. Other bits and pieces are artfully positioned – then heated – to form fused glass designs.

Vitale enjoys working with glass because of its rich visual qualities and the varied products it produces. “There are so many things (to do) with glass,’’ Vitale said. “It’s a fascinating medium.”

Like her art, Vitale’s shop, which opened in 1997, is multifaceted.

It functions as a workshop for repairs and custom orders. Vitale and her staff make stained glass embellishments for clients’ doorways, windows and kitchen cabinets. The shop also serves as a studio for art classes, and it sells supplies.

Also for sale are glass art pieces in an assortment of styles and personalities. A few blown glass items are made by a local artist. Most other pieces are the work of Vitale and her staff.

Prices range from about $20 to $250 for bowls, platters and plates. Most stained glass panels fit in the $75 to $600 range.

While tucking some pieces along walls and shelves, Vitale also employs the area overhead. Wind chimes made from strips of stained glass hang from the ceiling ($45-$55), along with a mobile featuring a trio of leaping dolphins ($55) and a bright red stained glass lobster (not for sale).