Glass for Summer- let the light in
As we move from rain to more rain and even more rain, I start to think of ways to make the world a bit brighter. I have decided that yellow, orange and gentle reds are the colour of the moment to try and pretend that the world is slightly warmer and brighter than it really is. This is the magic of glass. It is such a simple idea. Plain glass lets the light in and brings the light into our homes and workspaces but a little bit of colour can add a warmth and glow to that light. This can lift our mood, make us more positive and make us nicer to be around. Is it all that simple? Yes it can be. We all now know that we can recover quicker in hospital if we can see out a window and can see trees, fields and animals. So as you walk across the room and you pass through a warm glow of light coming in a stained glass window it can lighten our mood and lift our spirits. It does not need to be a great deal of colour but a small additional pool of light can make so much difference to us all.
Kiln working and glass painting going ahead
The kiln is working, having been mended with a great deal of effort, interesting language and time. So now thoughts of bowls can start again, after a delay of a good few weeks. There is also the opportunity to start firing the glass painting that has been done and has been waiting for a mended kiln. When the new kiln came into the studio we thought it would be a great studio heater. Sadly it is so well insulated that it keeps all the heat inside not sharing it around. Now this is very fuel efficient but not a great solution to cold dank mornings like today. I always remember at college that the kiln area in ceramics, pottery, was always warm and dry with a cosy cave like feeling. Anyway no such luck at stained glass studio, all efficient and well insulated.
This also means that the lamp shown below can now have a new fused glass lid instead of the material cover that was on the original lamp. A new photo will follow once the lid is ‘cooked’ or fused in the kiln.
Spring
Time for Spring as it will be 17C this week and my snowdrops will melt! It is still February and we are not ready for this weather so I went looking for the Spring Window. Flower image taken from the window at St Bart’s.
Fused glass, bowls and moulds.
In the cold dark days of February it is time to fire up the kiln and make glass bowls ready for the warm summer weather, salads and fruit. Yesterday I ordered some new moulds to make bowls and it is really exciting planning new designs and thinking of colours. There is something about the delicacy of a glass bowl that makes what you put in it so much more special. And the great thing about these bowls is that they are still beautiful when empty. I went for new moulds that would mean we could stack the bowls, always a practical thought, how will they be stored. I have gone with small bowls to start with as I will be selling them online,so I needed something that would be simple to send. Well the adventure starts here, a new project is always exciting I can’t wait for my moulds to arrive.
Glassicals
At the Studio the tallest elf in South Mymms has been making Christmas decorations or Glassicles! These beautiful drips of glass with stars and trees, are great fun and bring something special to any Christmas tree. With Christmas lights shining through they bring a special touch of winter ice and snow from the outside world inside to our warm Christmas celebrations. With small metal rings embedded into the fused glass and fine ribbon to hang them they a great, and in a range of colours there is something to suit everyone.
Colour
When I think of stained glass I think of the colour that it brings into my house. In the morning my hall is full of colour as the light comes through the stained glass panel in the front door. Sometimes it is like jewels of light and at other times there are long rays of colour reaching out into other parts of the house. From the outside you can bring warmth to your house as you walk up to the door. In the winter with a light in the hall the house glows with warmth. It is such a subtle thing the way colour affects us. The glass does not have to be bright and dramatic too bring that warm, confident and expensive feeling to a house. It can also be a great way to bring a single colour into an area. A blue or green glass can be great in a wet room as a wall divide or an external window. Red could be great for a small intimate internal room suggesting warmth heat and comfort. Now make your own decisions when you look at the glass.
Windows that are not windows
When is a window not a window, when there is no opening behind the panel of glass. Sometimes buildings do not have the window opening that you would expect even though visually your eye expects there to be one. This was true of a church in Harrow. As you look towards the altar, the focal point of the space, the Christian tradition normally has a large East Window. Unfortunately for years this church had kept a long textile hanging behind the altar as there was no window. Matthew Lloyd-Winder decided that with the clever use of painted glass, not using lead lines and the expert advice of a lighting engineer, the illusion of a large East Window could be created. Instead of fitting into a window this would be a free-standing panel, supported by a frame fixed to the roof beams. This allowed the ‘window’ or stained glass panel, to go from floor to ceiling, dominating the space. Each individual pane of glass was then painted and treated, working in a style that would use as much light as possible.
Although this was a large piece of work the same techniques could be used in a smaller space or home. Not every panel of glass needs a window opening behind it. Lighting can be placed behind the glass to bring that glorious illumination of colour through the glass. It is that quality of light that is so special.
Even a window opening sometimes has to obey different rules. Instead of letting you see through the window, stained glass can create a barrier keeping the inside private. Allowing you the freedom of internal coloured light coming through the window but ensuring that you cannot be viewed from outside.
A stained glass window can also be used to pretend there is a view whereas there might be a brick wall only feet away. A window with a good use of exterior lighting can create the illusion of a window looking out onto a view when there is no view available.
Therefore you don’t need a window or a window onto the world to create light and colour into an internal space.
It is all done by magical stained glass.
St Barts – In the process
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Sometimes it’s interesting to see things in the process of being made. These are a selection of photographs featuring the windows in the process, still at the studio and not quite ready yet.
Holiday or renewel…
Ahh it is August and we all run for the hills, or in our case off to the Il de Re an island on the Atlantic coast of France. After we have lasted the first day with the constant reference to the phone and email, just to check how things are going at home and at the studio, then we start to relax. Then one day, a rainy morning, out came paint and paper and the stained glass man was off. First a sketch then suddenly he was inspired and the professional raised its head. A new photo was needed, paper was now taped to the table, and a much more exact pencil sketch was made. Then on to the watercolour to express the feeling of space, sky, wind and weather. This is a place of long vistas as the wind blows across the low-lying land. the sea, sky and inland salt marches give a feeling of openness, and even exposure. As an artist who runs a business this time to draw and paint is a time of regrowth and repair. To practice those skills that are used everyday just for your own use, no stress, no time constraint, just a piece of paper.
Image by Chris Coles
Through the Stained glass window
Through my window the sun shines in many colours as it comes in through the stained glass front door. I step over panels of coloured light as I look out at the strange coloured world outside. In the winter the light glows out through the door and greets you as you come home. It is unique and special and that is my stained glass front door.
