Bishopstrow Glass Blog: March 2013

Sunday 24 March 2013

Finished

All done, 12 different types of glass and just over 100 hours of work. The results speak for themselves though.
I used a white grout all over and then blacked the majority of it too mute the tone and lines. Leaving the hair and left side of the face in white to nicely emphasise the light, this subtlety but very effectively highlights light shape and makes the face stand out. Only using the appliqué technique can we achieve this.
Unlike most of my glass art, this picture is designed to reflect light so it can be enjoyed in all lighting conditions.

Friday 22 March 2013

Nearly finished

Nearly finished, just need to grout it now. Started at 0700 and finished just after 1500, had to re-do bits of the ear 3 times to get it right, but it was time well spent and there is now depth to it. I am going to use a white grout which will highlight the shape of the head through the hair cut lines and the left side of the face. The rest I might colour black or brown to tone it down a bit.
If you compare it with the original painting I think you will agree we have certainly captured the essence; a good looking bloke my dad.

Thursday 21 March 2013

Portrait continued

This technique allows the use of very small pieces which can add incredible detail. If you look closely at dads l bottom lip you will notice a tiny white fleck about 4mm long and 1mm wide. This when looked at in context gives the impression of backlight reflecting off it and adds shape to the lip. Really effective for such a tiny piece of glass and only possible using the appliqué technique.
Just got the ear, neck and background to go, hopefully get that done tomorrow. About 6 hours work.
Hope you like it.

Stained glass portrait

This stained glass project is being done as a gift for my dad. He has just had his 90th birthday and I wanted to do something really special for him. As a young man, an artist friend painted a beautiful portrait of him which I grew up admiring, so it's a real thrill for me to do this for my wonderful dad.
The technique being used is called appliqué and differs from normal leading or copper foiling in that the glass pieces once cut are bonded to a sub sheet of plain float glass.