Highlight of my Career

All Saints', Huntsville Ontario

The past year has been a combination of returning to my roots and venturing into new territory.

My relationship with glass began as a hobby in the 1970’s, but quickly became a passion that has lasted almost 40 years.  I built over 100 stained glass windows for clients, primarily in Toronto, but after I started fusing glass, my stained glass projects became fewer.  Then in Autumn 2017, I was given the opportunity to design and build 2 memorial windows for a new addition to All Saints’ Anglican Church, Huntsville.

19th century Eucharist window

I regarded my first ecclesiastic commission to be both an honour and a great responsibility.  My job was to create windows for Huntsville’s oldest church, a beautiful stone building in the heart of town and an important part of Huntsville’s cultural heritage.  

I would be making a 21^st century contribution to a church that was built in the 19^th century and contained windows from the 19^th and 20^th centuries.  I saw the task as multifaceted: the windows should be rooted in scripture, integrate Christian symbolism, sit in harmony with 2 existing windows in the same space, honour the families sponsoring the windows, and carry a message of, and for, our time.  Every element of the designs must be there for a reason.  All this in addition to practical considerations of light and orientation, which are always present when designing glass.

It was a complex creative and spiritual challenge that lasted several months.  Once designed, I took my time with the physical process of building the windows.  I enjoyed the focused process of decision making, cutting, leading, soldering and finishing the windows, using those centuries-old processes learned decades earlier.  It felt like this was what I had been preparing for four decades.

As glass is cut, it is "waxed up" on a glass easel to see the colours in natural light.

 

Strips of channeled lead are cut and fitted to hold glass

 

The rainbows were made from fused glass

Lead joints are soldered and putty forced into the gaps

On All Saints’ Day, Sunday November 4, 2018, the windows were finally blessed and dedicated in a special ceremony.  I am humbled by the appreciation of the sponsoring families, rector, congregation, and of my family and friends.  I am especially grateful for having experienced God’s grace, working through me.

Me, Ven. Dawn Henderson, Peggy Hern and Brian Hern

Let Your Light Shine, in memory of the Hern family

 

 

He is the Vine, in memory of the Nickalls family

s)

The Dance of Light

brightening up a bit

One of the aspects of working in the medium of glass that continues to engage and fascinate me is the interplay between light and glass.  My skill in serving as a dance-partner with light is always evolving.

Glass art is always seen in relationship with the light that enlivens it.  The warm light of sunset is totally different from that of a gloomy morning or of a sunny winter day.  Artificial light differs from natural light, and incandescent is different from LED. Front lighting and backlighting are often both present.  The goal is to find a balance that works in these changing light conditions.

Colour, translucence and opacity are all affected by light.  I took some photographs of a recent commission that I was able to observe over a few of days under different conditions, before delivering it to it’s new home.  Look closely to see what differences you notice.

a dull day

finally sunshine!

A blast of evening sun

The panel (18”w x 25”h) will be installed to provide both privacy and a visual feature in the room.  I imagine the client may spend more time there from now on, as each viewing offers a unique experience!

My latest commission goes home

Newest creation

Last September at the Apsley Studio Tour a customer asked me to make a custom panel for her. Elisabeth’s interest had been caught the previous year, and now her mind was made up.  We talked about what appealed to her in my work, the colours she’d like to include, and the location of the commission.  She sent me photographs of the room, and a painting that would be seen in relationship to the panel; a beautiful abstract painting by Molly Moldovan, my host artist on the Apsley Tour.

Usually I do a site visit before starting a commission to see the space, the natural and artificial light, and the general environment. In this case Elisabeth and I were both comfortable foregoing that step.

This was a larger piece than most of my recent work, and I loved making it.  I composed the panel in 3 stages building layers and visual depth.  Working as I do with cut and crushed glasses I’m continually burying what lies beneath; I can’t see what the composition looks like until it has been fired, which offers a challenge peculiar to the medium.  I must rely on my experience and on memory of what’s beneath.  After firing, the glass becomes transparent and I study what I’ve got.  I decide where I want to intensify or modify the colour, add textural elements or introduce detail.  Then I fire again and repeat the process.  Once the final firing is complete and I’m satisfied, the grunt work of grinding and belt sanding to perfect the edges begins.  This was a heavy piece to support, but it’s a good workout for those biceps!  Finished edges look tidy and ensure a perfect fit in the custom-fabricated iron stand.

Elisabeth at my studio

Today Elisabeth came to pick up her new glass art at my studio near Huntsville.  We were both happy with the result!

photographed by Kelly Holinshead, Shutterbug Gallery

The 41st Annual Muskoka Arts and Crafts Spring Members show is on this weekend at the Bracebridge Sportsplex, offering an incredible range of art on Sunday, from 11am to 4pm.  The opening ceremony was Friday evening, and along with many of my colleagues, I was honoured by the judges with an Award of Excellence for one of the pieces I entered in the show.

This is one of my current favorites, an 8" by 12" flat square platter which is part of my Ice Series. It caught the eye of judges Thomas Aitken and Kate Hyde who remarked on the depth of the piece, achieved by the skillful layering of  glass.

It's always a great experience to view the recent work of so many Muskoka artists at the Spring Members' Show; such imagination and skill is evident in the work displayed.  Congratulations to all the participants and award winners, and thanks to the many volunteers who make the event possible!

Apsley Autumn Studio Tour

In about a week I will be packing up my work and hitting the road for Apsley Ontario to exhibit at the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour.  This is an outstanding studio tour with many talented artists and artisans eager to open their studios and share their work with the public.   I am a regular guest artist at my friend Molly Moldovan’s painting studio, and I’m looking forward both to seeing her recent work and to meeting the many people who will be coming through the door on their own art adventure.

Pictured is my studio set up for my own recent studio tour, and a few pieces in the kiln awaiting their final firing before heading to Apsley. 

 My “Northern Lights” themed pieces are very popular. When completed,the ones below be free-standing art pieces in iron stands, like the pieces on the right in the image above.

in the kiln for "fire polish" firing

Finally, is a piece that I just composed but is not yet fired.  It will look completely different after it’s fired, ground, polished and mounted.  Meet me at studio “M”, September 16 & 17 and see how it turns out!