Memories in stained glass

Memories are magical; a sight, a sound, a song, a smell, the slightest thing can trigger it and we are transported back to a moment in time. Some memories are so special that we like to keep permanent reminders of them. This next project falls into that category. 

Happy and very poignant memories of a Holliday on StMartins in the Scillies, captured in a photograph by one of the navigational day marks. The challenge, to make a permanent reminder  in glass. Also very poignant to the client was the appearance of three swallows , which are to be incorporated as well. 

It is a simple suncatcher, made by the copper foil method, with the swallows painted on a styled cloud and fired in the kiln. A lead came border conceals a copper wire, which both supports the picture and provides two hanging loops. 

I hope you like it. 

Stained glass portrait

Ok, just a quick wash up on the stained glass portrait. Finally finished. I use a white pollyfiller type of powder to grout the glass, this allows me to control how deep and far it penetrates beneath, and allows me to use it as a very subtle highlight. I then use a good quality black water paint to darken the grout where necessary, and all that is left is some serious elbow grease to clean it all up. 

The two photos are with light from behind and in front, this shows really well how the different glasses perform, not just chosen for colour, but also how they illuminate the picture. The hair and shirt in particular really perform well. I am so pleased with it, really worth the time and effort, I'll be really sad to see an old friend go, but happy he is going to a better home. 

Stained glass portrait

Well that's all the glass cut and bonded, so effectively the portrait is finished. All that remains is to grout and polish and we will be ready to hand him over. 

I know I keep harking on about the photograph not doing justice to the piece, but it really doesn't. Looking at him sitting across the room from me, with that wickedly cheeky glint in his eye, it is an absolutely stunning picture. When you consider that it is just made up from pieces of coloured glass, it's all the more remarkable. I hope you like him. 

Stained glass portrait

A bit more on the stained glass portrait today, concentrating on the second eye and nose. These are the features which bring the face to life, add depth to the picture, and if done right convey mood and personality. Very difficult to achieve using just bits of cut glass. 

The pieces once cut are placed on the check image in the correct orientation whilst the bonding agent is very carefully spread over the base glass. Each piece is then fitted in turn, being really careful not to get any bonding agent on the face of the glass (or your fingers for that matter). Once all are in place, very carefully manipulate them to achieve the desired look and hopefully expression, then each piece is properly bedded into the agent, checked again, then any excess agent is cleaned up. 

And there he is. Another day should do it. 

Stained glass portrait

Well as if by a miracle, a stool on wheels turned up and took the strain from my very high mileage knees; a big thanks to my wonderful long suffering wife, xxx. 

Another long "bonding" session and a bit more glass cutting and the wonderful portrait is really starting to take shape. I have made a few very subtle changes, and although hardly noticeable they do enhance the overall effect, in particular the expression, which captures the whole personality. 

Really pleased so far. 

Stained glass portrait

Time marches on, unlike my knees which are now locked solid; must acquire some kind of bar stool on wheels. After numerous attempts to get the first eye right, I think we just about have it. I had to change several of the pieces around it for slightly different shades to get the accents looking better. This is a theme which continues as the picture progresses and I can see another couple of pieces which will need changing as well. Coming on nicely though. 

Another day in the studio

After another day in the studio, I wasn't going to post an update because there doesn't appear to be much progress. So to cheer myself up I thought I would pop a couple of different new bits in. We have the most beautiful baroque glass, which consists of black, white and clear glass swirled together. It is perfect for the shirt and I have been looking forward to adding it to the portrait, but not to cutting it; it's a real nightmare. True to form, a long and unbelievably sharp edge sliced right through my thumb whilst manipulating it on the grinder. It's so sharp I didn't feel a thing, just wondered why the water was running red when it was actually black and white glass. 

Wasn't it worth it though, the shirt is absolutely perfect; really pleased. 

Continuing the stained glass portrait

Continuing with our portrait, a full day in the studio doesn't seem to have progressed very far, but there is a subtle change. As the picture was developing, one piece in particular was beginning to grate on me a bit. The large piece on the very crown was too white it was blurring the line between the hair and was too much of a contrast with the lower browns. Although it is very true to the original photograph, it was just a bit too much for the stained glass picture. 

So I spent a couple of hours cutting a new piece in a slightly darker glass. It hardly notices, but the subtle difference works much better, leaving a big smile on my face. The highlights on the head and cheek also work really well, but took an inordinate amount of time to cut; they are just a couple of millimetres wide in places. 

It's very rewarding to see a familiar face slowly begin to appear. Again my photo doesn't do it justice, but you get the idea. 

Stained glass course

Today we ran our second stained glass course of 2016, two lovely ladies keen to learn the ancient art of making stained glass windows. Our courses are designed to give the basic knowledge and hone the basic skills, building the confidence try more and more ambitious projects. 

Our two fantastic students worked tirelessly all day with great enthusiasm, producing their own very personal designs and making them to a very high standard indeed. Sadly we ran out of time and didn't get to polish them, but they still look awesome. Well done ladies.

 

Stained glass portrait

Continuing with the stained glass portrait, today I bonded all the green background pieces to the base glass. It can be really tricky with the big pieces, so I temporarily fix them face down to a piece of wood, this allows me to hold it firmly whilst applying bonding agent, which is very viscose and sticky. The wood also allows me to accurately place them onto the pattern without smearing any glass, which saves hours of cleaning up. 

Whilst the bond cures, I crack on cutting more glass. First the piece I am preparing is cut with a pair of scissors from one of the pattern copies, this is then placed onto the glass where the colour and texture best meet the needs, and very carefully drawn around. 

Then using a glass cutter I make as many cuts as is necessary to get as close as possible to the final shape. 

Then a bit of nifty work with the grozing pliers is followed by some very careful finishing on one of the grinding machines and hey presto; a perfect glass copy of the original paper shape. 

It doesn't look like any part of a face, not until it takes it's correct place on the pattern. Then slowly, but surely a picture begins to emerge. Again please forgive my photography, it really doesn't do it justice. 

Stained glass portrait.

Started work today in on the stained glass portrait. It is to be an appliqué project, with the cut and intricately shaped coloured glass bonded to a sheet of plain float glass to form the image. 

We saw in a previous post how to turn a photograph into a workable cartoon, I have made several copies of this. The first is fixed underneath the float glass and is centralised to balance the picture (the original was off centre with the top part missing). I then cut a thin border from a beautiful dark brown glass and bonded it to the picture glass. The next copy is waterproofed and placed on an assembly board. This is used to fit and check fit all the glass pieces before they are bonded, this prevents scratches, chips and spreading the bonding agent. The next couple of copies are used to cut the pattern blanks which are then traced around onto the glass so an accurate shape can be cut; I'll cover that in another post. 

In the picture, the image on the left is the actual glass sheet with the border bonded to it, and on the right is a check image with all the green pieces (the tree background) in place; for anyone interested, that is a full days work. 

Fanlight fitted

After much ado, the Victorian fanlight finally has pride of place in Shepton Mallett. The lead was nicely blacked and aged with graphite paste and much elbow grease, then fitted to its mounting/transit board. This holds it flat face down and provides almost bombproof protection whilst moving and handling it, then by simply unscrewing the bottom bar and braces it allows me to lift and fit the panel with ease and in safety. 

Removing the previous piece of glass was straightforward, I wrap it in gaffer tape on both sides to contain any splinters, scrape out the old putty and remove any pins. With a bit of persuasion it pops out. A bit more elbow grease to clean the frame out, then offer the panel up. A perfect fit. I the apply a bead of clear bonding agent to the lead, this forms a tough, permanent but flexible bond, but will absorb a lot of the shock of the door slamming shut. The panel is then fitted and secured with a few pawl pins (belt and braces). Final act a really good quality fame sealant inside and out (I really don't like putty, it sets solid and cracks, letting water in). 

The effect on the door is pure magic, it looks like it been there forever. I just wish I could take a decent photograph. 

Stained glass Fanlight

Continuing with the reproduction Victorian Fanlight, a concerted effort this weekend has just about finished it. All soldering complete and puttied on both sides, leaving just the mess to clean up; putty and chalk dust can cover an amazing area. 

I am leaving it lying flat in the studio for four days to give the putty time to set and form a reliable bond. All that is left to do is polish both sides with graphite paste to darken and preserve the lead, and then the hard part; fitting it. 

 

Victorian fan light

Continuing with the reproduction Victorian fan light, after a couple of days with the lead knife it's all assembled. This was a tricky design to lead up, if the lines are to flow as intended then long uninterrupted strips of lead came are needed to wrap several pieces at the same time. The sub assemblies are then fitted together and other pieces added. Each time another piece of glass is added, it needs disassembling so the next strip of lead can be cut, shaped and fitted. It would have been much easier just to cut short bits of came and assemble it like a lead light, but is am sure you will agree, the long way yields a stunning result. 

All that is left to do now is to solder, cement and polish

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.