It’s hard to know where to start explaining this artwork, its by far the most personal thing I have produced. Continue reading “A World Without”
A World Without
Fishy window – stained glass and acid etched door panel
My latest commission, a fishy window for a converted pub in the Cotswolds, this is in an internal door. The fish are acid etched into spectrum water glass, which, as the name suggests is perfect for representing water. Continue reading “Fishy window – stained glass and acid etched door panel”
New Work for Edge Sculpture Trail
Went to install my new panel in the woods at the 
annual sculpture trail at High Heathercombe Centre
EDGE is an outdoor sculpture trail on Dartmoor and is set in a woodland with a stream running through. The theme this year is Renewal.
I haven’t tried to hang a stained glass window in the woods before and I really like how it looks suspended in the trees. Stained glass is usually in such solid stone and brick built openings and its quite different looking at it just suspended in the air. 
The panel mixes fused glass and traditional stained glass painting and leading. Its in a very sturdy
y frame, so lets hope it survives the Dartmoor Weather! Heavy rain and thunderstorms are forecast this week, so fingers crossed.
I don’t usually add text
to my own work, but I have written a little bit of text that goes around the edge. No idea where this new found poetic streak has come from!
The panel is called Woodland Education and the words say
Gazing up, at the lacework sky of leaves,
‘Is that all?’, she sighed.
‘Oh no’, hushed the trees in wolfish reply.
‘You Can Always Try Again’.
Tropical fish stained glass windows
I have just installed these 2 windows into a newly renovated home in Exeter. The building itself is an old vicarage, which is several hundred years old and has been added to over the years, most significantly in the 1960s and again by the new owners
. They have added a new atrium and extension, but this has left the bathroom on the ground and first floors with windows over looking the staircase, so one of the main design factors was obscuring the bathrooms for privacy.
The clients wanted lots of colour, lots of fish and lots of blue. The windows are one above another and visible both from the staircase and the bathrooms. The botto
m panel has coral and the fronds
of seaweed reach up and match up to those of the first floor window.
Each of
the fish in the design has been formed in my kiln by melting crushed and small strips of glass. Once the glass has melted together into fish shapes I have
painted the details on and re-fired in the kiln to fix the 
paint in place. Once I made all the fish I incorporated them into a traditional, leaded stained glass windows, mixing modern techniques with traditional ones, which echoes the mixture of old and new architecture in the house.
These have been a labour of love and very time consuming; incorporating fused glass is technically more tricky than a standard leaded panel. But they have been well worth the effort, the clients are delighted with them and I think they have turned out really well. I especially like the way they reflect off the white bathroom tiles and bounce coloured fish reflections around the rooms.
Exmouth Window
This is a new piece, commissioned for a 1920’s front door for a period house in
Exmouth.
My client wanted
the local landscape and beach huts as a theme and I enhanced this seaside theme more by acid etching and etching shells into some of the glass border.
Acid etching was the first surface technique I learned and it remains one of my favourite effects. The way that the texture – and therefore light transmission of the glass is altered is both subtle and effective and is very useful for adding close up detail without making the overall design too ‘busy’. To add a contemporary twist I have fired the photograph of Exmouth Beach huts onto glass in my kiln and this modern process gives a contrast to the traditional leading and etching.
Island of Tresco Window
I have just installed this large window, which I have been working on for the last couple of months. It is
just over a metre square and is situated in the lounge/diner of a modern bungalow. The client was keen to obscure the view from the window: an ugly brick wall and as she has a special love of the Island of Tresco a landscape seemed like the perfect solution.
The window has lots of details, to keep the viewer interested over a long period. As well as using a wide range of textures and types of stained glass (from antique, mouth blown glass to modern, machine rolled iridescent water glass) and have acid etched shells into the glass in the border and painted agapanthus (in a mixture of glass enamels and lustre, which were then fired in the kiln) and other natural details in the panel itself.
The 
window sits in front of a double glazed window, resting on the window sill and is screwed into the window surround with small brackets and thanks to my helpful dad who made a frame for the panel to sit in.
The Tresco panel has transformed the room and because it is visible from the front door, it has added the ‘wow factor’ to the property from the minute you walk in. It was such a dark, grey day today the photos really don’t do the piece credit; but I am assured that in a brief break in the clouds, the sun was shining through the panel and sending colourful blocks of coloured li
ght around the room.
I get quite nervous about delivering work, what if it doesn’t fit? What if they hate it? But it fits perfectly and the client emailed me to say , “Thank you for the beautiful window! As the light is going the colours coming through are stunning-doesn’t show when photo taken-and earlier sitting on the sofa looking at it -wow!” So I can rest easy, phew!
Large Stained Glass fish window for a bathroom
This large panel has just been installed to further obscure a large bathroom win
dow; I make lots of windows for bathrooms and toilets and it is a great place to put a stained glass window as it adds privacy and interest to small rooms. At just over a metre square its a striking feature which is visible through the bathroom into the upstairs landing. The window has been fixed in front of the existing textured double glazed panel and really livens up the space. All the fish are made with iridescent water glass and have been hand painted and kiln fired. The panel is leaded using traditional techniques
Farm Landscape Stained Glass Panel.
My latest commission has just been delivered! Destined for Smallicome Farm B&B, this panel has lot
s of symbolism for the family. The scene reflects the gorgeous countryside around their farm, which is nestled in a green valley just outside Honiton, Devon.
The family farm is run by several generations and there were lots of different animals and features they wanted to include. The result is a colourful reflection of
the farm and its warm family atmosphere.
As with all my stained glass, I have painted all the features onto the glass and fired them in the kiln (2 whole kiln loads in this window!). There is lots of detail in this panel, from the pigs which are part of their company logo to the tiny bird on the apple basket. They run a mixed farm and the sheep and cows on the hill reflect this. I am especially pleased with how the tree has come out, the glass for this is 30 years old and is a lovely dark amber.
I have then leaded the panel using traditional leading techniques and it is going to be the central panel in a triple glazed wooden window unit. The panel celebrates the conclusion of their extensive restoration project and is going into a bricked up door. This makes a great back lit feature to the farm reception area, so when people arrive at night they are given a little slice of colour and it is a great feature for the families private living room on the other side. Because it is going into a glazed unit its going to be well insulated! Honiton Joinery are making up the glazed unit.