Students work in situ

What's wrong with straight lines? That's what Esteemed Student Sarah Ward asks every time I suggest a gentle undulation or mention a... curve.
And I must say, seeing her work I'm more than convinced - it's stylish, contemporary and deceptively simple. It's actually very hard to make a geometric window so well, one wobble and it's spoilt, so well done Sarah. It looks fantastic in situ, too.

Creative Glass - Sun 7 June - exciting day planned

Amber Hiscott - Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester


Sally Fawkes, from On The Edge exhibition

Two fantastic glass artists, one whole day learning about their lives and work...what could be better? Amber Hiscott, one of the UKs most successful public glass artists, and Sally Fawkes, who has an international reputation for her beautifully crafted cast work will be talking about and showing their work.
Two things you need do - 1. GO! and 2. book a place first, and soon. The details are below, I've put spaces in the contact email so that Arabella won't receive any spam - you obviously need to remove them.

SOUTH WEST REGIONAL GATHERING of GLASS ARTISTS / MAKERS
Members and non members of Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) welcome.

Sunday 7th June 2009 11am - 4.30pm
Creative Glass Guild, 16 Whitehouse Street, Bristol BS3 4AY
Talks from renowned artists AMBER HISCOTT (architectural glass) www.amberhiscott.com and SALLY FAWKES (cast glass) www.sallyfawkes.com showing images of their work in the morning.

Self generated workshops and discussions on relevant subjects in the afternoon: (technical surgery/ promotion + marketing / public art and commissions / exhibiting opportunities)

The day is about:
• being inspired
• meeting others of like mind or like occupation
• offering and receiving technical advice
• discovering resources in your area that you didn’t know were there.
• exploring opportunities for exhibiting work
• exploring public art opportunities
and what else YOU THINK it should include.

You do need to book a place.
Email: info @arabellamarshall .com Phone: 01803 863122

COST: £8 CGS members, £6 CGS student members
£12 non CGS members £8 non CGS student members

Bring simple lunch to share. Tea and coffee provided

Mollie Meager - weekend workshops.

Fancy a creative weekend of stained glass with one of the south west's most respected - and popular! - glass artists? Mollie Meager has arranged some weekend courses at her studio in the Forest of Dean. You too can acid etch on a rickety table in the open air! Seriously, the courses look fantastic, and everyone I know who's been on one has loved it and got a lot from it, both creatively and socially. The photos are from past course participants.
Details:
The courses last 3 days and include an evening meal on the previous evening. Also includes midday meals and tea and coffee. There is a B&B near by and self catering is also available. Price -£220
Dates:
Sat. 2nd - Mon. 4th May. Evg. meal - Fri.1st.
Fri.29th - Sun. 31st May. Evg. meal - Thurs. 28th
Fri. 24th - Sun. 26th July. Evg. meal - Thurs. 23rd.

Here's Mollie's website for more details:
http://www.molliemeager.co.uk/

Tony Bolland exhibition

Lindsay went to Devizes to see Tony Bolland's exhibition of stained glass, and kindly sent some images for the blog. There looked to be a wide selection of work, ranging from quite pedestrian leaded glass panels to some more subtle and varied exhibits.
I've concentrated on the more interesting ones, starting with this one that looks very much like a drawing. The composition is great, and the execution - the quality of the lines and the choice of stain for colour - is perfect.


The next photos show a series - from the painting through to glass, with a couple of close-ups of the work. It's always interesting to see the transformation from working drawing to glass - something is always lost, and hopefully(!) something else found in the process. I love the extra drama the glass brings in terms of the light/dark dynamic, but feel that a bit of the subtlety of the original design has been lost in translation.




Here's a close up of the green flashed glass that's been partially etched back and painted.


Again, a close up of the paint work, with some subtle acid-etching. It's pleasantly free and spontaneous.

Stained Glass exhibition in Wiltshire

'Scuse the geezers in the way of the stained glass panel, but it's the only photo of Tony's work I could find on the web. Tony Bolland is another ex-Queen's Road student, so beware - this could be your future... From what I can see, it looks really interesting, and worth a look. There's also a Patrick Reyntiens and an original John Piper drawing to check out. It's on until March 1st at the following address:

Address - Wiltshire Heritage Museum, 41 Long Street, Devizes, Wiltshire, SN10 1NS, UK.
Telephone Number – 01380 727369
Fax Number – 01380 722150
Or E-mail us at wanhs@wiltshireheritage.org.uk

Usual Opening Times: Museum 10am - 5pm, Monday to Saturday and noon - 4pm on Sundays.

EXHIBITION: Wiltshire Sky and Light: a personal journey through stained glass

An exhibition by award-winning local stained glass artist Tony Bolland. The exhibition draws together examples and illustrations of virtually all stained glass techniques from earliest Medieval times to the cutting edge of contemporary architectural glass, all by one single glass artist.
This is the first one-man exhibition by Tony who has lived in Devizes for the past seven years. His work is diverse and the exhibition will contain examples of stained and architectural glass work, using both traditional archaic methods of leaded coloured glass and unique contemporary techniques. Subject-matter relates to carefully observed and experienced natural phenomena of light in its seasonal and daily variations, heavily influenced by the landscape of the Pewsey Vale. 

Tony took up professional studies in stained and architectural glass in 1997 as something of an antidote to a dynamic and challenging career at the cutting edge of architecture. He was awarded a Btech HNC Distinction in Architectural Glass at Queens Road School of Art and Design, Bristol, in 1999. Following a life working and living overseas he found the open skies, vast horizons and quiet repose he was seeking in the Vale of Pewsey, where he was undertaking a design commission for two friends. He now lives and works in a house facing the Green in Devizes, which is flooded all day with light from the east and west. Tony undertakes private commissions and many of the works in the exhibition will be for sale. Purchases can be taken away before the end of the exhibition by special arrangement, and the artist will be changing some of the works during the exhibition. The exhibition will also illustrate the process of design and how this is translated into stained glass. 

This exhibition has given us the opportunity to display our own stained glass window designed by John Piper and made by Patrick Reyntiens and the original cartoon painting by John Piper. 

The Exhibition is in the Museum’s Art Gallery from until 1 March 2009.

Gerhard Richter - Cologne Cathedral

Finished this August, this impressive stained glass window in Cologne Cathedral has been made from 11,500 four-inch 'pixels', cut from antique - or handmade - glass in a total of 72 different colours, and measures 110m2. Richter is an artist who works in many different media, and this window relates to his 1974 painting entitled '4096 Colours'. In the transition from painting to glass, Richter didn't use the original 4096 colours, as they would've been historically inaccurate or too pale, outshining those squares around them. Instead he chose a palette to echo the colours of the glass that would've been available in the 13th century.
Apparently the Archbishop of Cologne isn't happy with the window, preferring the more traditional figurative approach. The window seems to link the 21st century with the 13th very successfully, both in its' use of antique glass and with the archaic hues, but also in its' mosaic-like appearance. Medieval glass uses lots of little pieces of glass and is rich in colour and texture. I likes it, me.

Artisan mizmo ??!!

If you're thinking 'Artisan what?' or 'mizmo who?', then we're in the same boat... I found these photos in Flickr, and they were credited to Artisan mizmo, so I feel obliged to do the same.
The panels use very simple painted decorative techniques to great effect. If you want to add detail and pattern in addition to that which the lead itself makes, this is a really effective method.
All of the panels have had the paint applied all over - a matt - and then, when it's dry the paint has been scraped away with various implements to reveal the coloured glass beneath. Just like that wax crayon thing we used to do at school!
The red centre panel in the bottom one is red on yellow flashed glass - it's been freely etched at the top to reveal the yellow base layer.