So I started a stained glass beginner's class yesterday. It was great fun! I was the youngest person in the class by probably 20 years - which is fine. And not to brag or anything, but I was pretty good at cutting and shaping the glass.
It's OK to be impressed by me. Many people are.
I'm excited to learn this stuff, though. Ever since I learned about the beautiful stained glass adorning the amazing cathedrals throughout France and England, I have wanted to learn how to create these kinds of works of art myself.
The instructor of the class had something laid out that he was working on for a customer. It was very beautiful, if somewhat common - a mountain scene. What inspires me, though, is both the use of color and light to create moods, feelings, and images.
(not his work, but this is similar to what he'd done)
I am interested in how to best do this. Some stained glass is a glowing photograph of detail:
Others tend to be more impressionist, giving hints of things, but really just shapes and colors that blend to make a beautiful whole:
The one above appears very organic, with enough of a rectilinear aspect to lend regularity, rhythm, and order. And speaking of:
This may be more my style. The strict rectilinear organization of the piece is underpinned by a very subtle variance due to the irregularities in the glass itself, giving the whole thing a kind of vibrancy and sublime feeling of motion that is hard to describe, but is also very real. Add to this the idea of motion behind the glass - tree leaves moving in the breeze, clouds darkening the sky, etc. - and you get a sense that the order placed on the window is in fact just a framework for the power going on inside. You probably didn't think about it that way, but your eye and your brain noticed, and that adds to the pleasure of looking at something like this.
This kind of thing has a lot off little parts and details, some of the bits being no bigger than the surrounding dark areas. Which means a lot of work. But the payoff appears so rewarding and lovely... And this is the kind of work I really, really enjoy - detailed work that provides delight. So, we'll see. :) Stay tuned! I will post samples of things I'm working on here as I go. And in the mean time, here's another pretty from FLW:
It's OK to be impressed by me. Many people are.
I'm excited to learn this stuff, though. Ever since I learned about the beautiful stained glass adorning the amazing cathedrals throughout France and England, I have wanted to learn how to create these kinds of works of art myself.
The instructor of the class had something laid out that he was working on for a customer. It was very beautiful, if somewhat common - a mountain scene. What inspires me, though, is both the use of color and light to create moods, feelings, and images.
(not his work, but this is similar to what he'd done)
I am interested in how to best do this. Some stained glass is a glowing photograph of detail:
Others tend to be more impressionist, giving hints of things, but really just shapes and colors that blend to make a beautiful whole:
The one above appears very organic, with enough of a rectilinear aspect to lend regularity, rhythm, and order. And speaking of:
This may be more my style. The strict rectilinear organization of the piece is underpinned by a very subtle variance due to the irregularities in the glass itself, giving the whole thing a kind of vibrancy and sublime feeling of motion that is hard to describe, but is also very real. Add to this the idea of motion behind the glass - tree leaves moving in the breeze, clouds darkening the sky, etc. - and you get a sense that the order placed on the window is in fact just a framework for the power going on inside. You probably didn't think about it that way, but your eye and your brain noticed, and that adds to the pleasure of looking at something like this.
This kind of thing has a lot off little parts and details, some of the bits being no bigger than the surrounding dark areas. Which means a lot of work. But the payoff appears so rewarding and lovely... And this is the kind of work I really, really enjoy - detailed work that provides delight. So, we'll see. :) Stay tuned! I will post samples of things I'm working on here as I go. And in the mean time, here's another pretty from FLW:
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