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Everyone has hidden talents and quirky hobbies. Maybe you can double dutch jump rope or even jam to a classic Beatles song on the ukulele. When Mike Petze, a history teacher at BHS, isn’t thinking of jokes for “Joke Monday” or teaching his students how to write DBQ’s, he spends his free time crafting intricate stained glass pieces.

Petze has been involved with the art of stained glass making since he was a little boy. “I learned from my dad. He was a guitarist by night and a stained glass maker in the day,” he said.

Petze’s pieces vary in how long they take and the attention needed to craft these works of art. “It all depends. Some of the big lamps and windows can take six hours, but then I can have some of the smaller pieces done in about 15 minutes.”

Petze makes a variety of pieces and sells them on craft websites like Etsy and Ebay, and also at local gift shops, like Just Picked Gifts in Hyannis. Some of his creations include cats, dogs, boats, lighthouses, and once even a cockatoo. “I met an Australian lady who wanted a giant cockatoo made. It was a huge parrot that took a long time to make. And the funny thing was, it cost more to ship to Australia than the piece’s actual value!”

Due to his location on Cape Cod, Petze gets lots of requests for nautical and marine life pieces.  “I make a lot of sharks and thats how I got the idea to name my account on Etsy Sharkcreations,” Petze said.  One thing that is very unique to Sharkcreations is the particular element behind these creations. “I have to compete with all the imported stained glass pieces from around the world so I try to make all my work a little more personal.”

Stained glass is known for its interesting and striking color combinations that give off striking rays of vibrant light when assembled. But Petze is colorblind and that causes some complications for this artist. When he looks at the bright art, he perceives it differently from how someone else may see those colors.

A man once requested a shamrock to which Petze was happy to make. He quickly made it and when Petze gave it back to him, the customer was not to happy to receive the lucky symbol. “I accidentally made it orange. I couldn’t tell that it wasn’t green!”

To avoid future color switch up, Petze had to find a way to work around his color blindness. “I have a workshop in my basement and I had to create a bunch of cabinets to separate all the colors. My sister had to help and label all of them as the correct colors,” Petze said.

Not only is he very dedicated to his craft and found ways to work around his color blindness, but he also goes to great lengths to deliver them to the happy customers. “I sell some of my pieces at Christmas Tree Shop and I once had to drive to all the stores in this region. It took me 28 hours,” he said.

While his stain glass making may not have been common knowledge, Petze’s Boston Bruins obsession is no secret. When he was asked to make a piece a couple years back for a Bruins fundraiser, he jumped at the opportunity. When he found out that the goalie at the time, Reggie Lemelin, was going to be attending the event,  he made a tribute to the goalie by crafting a figurine of the famous Bruins athlete. Much to his surprise, Lemelin bid on the piece and ended up winning it at an auction. Petze was able to meet with the goalie and Lemelin was curious and had some questions about this unique craft. “He was really interested in it and wanted to take it up as a hobby. But I guess he was too busy being a goalie,” Petze said.

Petze’s strong enthusiasm is indisputable and the same passion he has for history carries through into his out of school craft. “I enjoy being able to be creative and use a variety of glass. I love making the customers happy with their requests and creating different things,” Petze said.