Stained glass portrait

Whilst we are waiting to complete the reproduction Victorian fanlight, we can start another project. My favourite works are the stained glass portraits; incredibly difficult, but very rewarding. Unlike normal windows, portraits produce a familiar  image, which to the client is a loved one or possibly a cherished pet and needs to be of such a good likeness that it is instantly recognisable. Our particular style  is quite unique in that we construct the image from intricately shaped pieces of coloured glass, using shades and patterns within the glass to add form and highlight the features. These are then bonded mosaic style to a sheet of thin float glass and are finally grouted. This particular technique is called Appliqué. 

There are very few coloured glasses which replicate with any accuracy the tones of skin, so we tend to use whispy creams and browns and accept a little poetic license with the realism. But as you can see in the first photograph, the overall effect can be quite remarkable. 

 

The portrait we are doing is of the father of our client who sadly passed away a while ago. It is a favourite photograph so needs very sympathetic handling. However as you can see in the second picture, although being a lovely portrait, it is actually quite short on detail. The main features on which we focus when looking at a face, the eyes, mouth and nose, are all in fairly deep shadow, there is also not much change of tone across the face, so this will be quite difficult to reproduce. As you can see in the third photo, we have drawn in all the glass cut lines, following features and areas of different colour or texture, trying to highlite them in such a manner as to enhance the form and add depth to the image. When we are happy with that, we then have to go over all the lines and shapes to make sure that they are all achievable in glass; no mean feat. So there you are, one cartoon for a stained glass portrait ready to go. I hope you like it. 

Fanlight

Most of the coloured glass for the fanlight is now cut. I still need to choose a yellow for the large Inverted moustache, but finally with the stronger colours in proportion I can find one with the right balance. The clear infill pieces are still to do, but as usual I have offered the client the opportunity to visit our studio and have a go at cutting some of the glass, which has been enthusiastically accepted. ClearCathedral glass is reasonably straightforward to cut, so is ideal for a first attempt, it's just fitting the session into tight timetables which may not be easy. 

This is also a first fix with the glass, there is still some minor grinding to do (on the greens in particular which is brittle and difficult with concave curves), so I will save that till its all complete. Hope you like it. 

Victorian fan light

The Victorian fan light (technically a transom light) is now well under way. The vidimus (a scale coloured drawing representative of the finished product) has been approved and glass samples selected so its time to crack on.

First we need to finish the cartoon. I have previously made a cardboard template and fitted into the intended aperture, this confirms a good fit and highlights any anomalies, saving a lot heartache later on. So, the dimensions are all good. I will be using a 12mm flat lead came for the border, so need to add this to the cartoon. From this I can plot the inner face of the heart, which is the line (in red in the photo) up to which the glass will be cut, and just for ease of lead up, I also pencil in the inner flange of the came. 

Drawing these lines in is easy if they are straight, but the semicircle is a bit more tricky, you can't buy a compass big enough so we use a piece of timber with carefully drilled holes; remember we are looking for an accuracy of line and glass of less than 1mm. 

Once that's done, it's just a case of cutting the glass. 

Back to work

Well the new studio is well and truly up and running. Came in very close to budget (more luck than judgement) but ran out of funds before the mains hookup, so if there are any charitable electricians out there......

We have several projects on the go and a few courses booked. One is a reproduction Victorian fan light, to restore an original feature removed many years ago. The building is currently undergoing a major restoration and the stained glass panel will be the crowing glory over a revamped front door. The design chosen is a fairly simple, but effective classical Victorian symmetrical pattern. As with all our designs, they are based on examples found locally and are hand drawn; hand and eye can produce much better compound curves than computers. The most important part of the design is the left to right symmetry, to get this perfect, I draw half of the cartoon up to the centreline, then carefully fold and trace the other half. Easier said than done but very accurate. Looking good so far. 

New studio

It's been a while since my last post so I thought a quick update was in order. Having outgrown our previous studio, being limited on the number of projects we could undertake, we decided to start afresh with purpose built premises. We chose an Eco friendly log cabin, using 12 volt wind power for light and ventilation. The project has been financed privately and is almost complete, just needing a 240v hookup for soldering and running the kilns. 

Hopefully we should be up an running within a month and can start to attack the backlog of orders and start running courses again. We thank all our customers for their patience and forbearance while the project has been in progress. 

Bathed in light

One of the really great things about my job is that you get to visit places off the beaten track and meet some fascinating people who you would otherwise only pass in the street without a second glance. 

Last Friday was a beautiful day, warm early spring sunshine, a gin clear sky; one of those days you are glad to be alive. Walking through the graveyard of StMary's church Limpley Stoke was absolutely serene. A stunning English vista over the Cotswolds towards Bradford-on-Avon, buzzards riding invisible thermals and the song of a lark drifting timelessly on the merest zephyr of a breeze. 

The beautiful little church has stood on this spot for over a thousand years and sits so perfectly into the landscape that it appears organic with it. You enter the Saxon Nave through a uniquely wonky 13 century porch in the north wall. As the heavy, original oak door slowly creeks open, the visitor enters and descends some ancient and well worn stone steps to witness the most breath taking sight; this stunning ancient building is bathed in the most glorious light. Pinks, yellows, blues and a myriad of shades in between, and all coming from a small single window in the South Aisle. Unlike the very old lead lights and 18/19th century traditional stained glass windows, this small modern piece dominates and draws the eye. With the sun just west of south it casts the most glorious coloured shadows, dancing over the stone flags and radiating softly of the lime washed walls. 

It is a piece by a very well know Bath glass artist, Mark Angus. It is a thoroughly modern window and appears to depict a cloaked figure kneeling; beyond that, it is, in the words of the artist "what you want it to be". You can look for deep meaning, or just enjoy the beauty of it shapes, lines and colour. Like all great works of art, it makes you think and holds your attention, it is as organic to the church as the church is to the landscape. 

We can but dream. 

Business update

It's been a while since my last post so thought I should really update our current position. The run up to Christmas was very busy and to be honest, I was only able to do about a third of the jobs on the books. The problem was, as last year, studio space; or to be more precise, lack of it. I need to be able to work on two large projects and one small one, as well as running a course simultaneously. Current space is only enough for one large job, so working consecutively involves packing and unpacking. 

My long term plan has always involved building a larger studio, but a large capital investment would have to be paid for, and the only way to do that would be by going fully commercial and charging for my work, and that's not what we are about. 

So with a New Year hangover, I thought bugger it, just work harder for a change. Since then I have been working almost full time, doing 17 or 18 hour days. This has paid for a big log cabin, and with the ground works half done, I am hoping to be up and running by the end of March, on the same site. Lots of hard work needs relaxation, so our boat has had a bit of a battering as well. The photo is from our mooring at the wonderful Thornham marina in Chichester harbour, the tide is ebbing and a glorious sunset is dramatically lighting the storm cloud which has just passed. It is moments like this which makes life worth living.