2018 Stained Glass Conference

I had the pleasure to attend the 2018 Stained Glass Association of America (SGAA) conference in Long Beach, California in late June. It was such a great event (arrived to its 109th instalment), and I had the chance to meet other stained glass artists and conservators, all under one roof.

The conference featured many amazing and inspiring talks. I particularly enjoyed the talk by Judith Schaechter, who showed her work, the processes she uses and her sources of inspiration. I am a big fan of her work, and always enjoying visiting museums or galleries that exhibit her stained glass.

Some of the samples Judith Schaechter showed during her talk.

Some of the samples Judith Schaechter showed during her talk.

I also met again with Ariana Makau from Nzilani Glass Conservation, who I had visited few years ago in Oakland, California, for inspiration and insights about stained glass conservation. Ariana’s talk at the conference was focused on health and safety when exposed to lead: a big issue when working with stained glass, and in particular when doing conservation works. The talk flamed up lots of discussion, which demonstrates how important this issue is to stained glass makers and conservators.

Another talk I enjoyed was by Lindsy Parrot, from the Neustadt Collection of Tiffany Glass, in the Queens Museum, New Jersey, who spoke about the mosaics from the Tiffany Studios. I have visited the collection in the Queens Museum few year ago, and I talked about it in this blog post.

The conference also featured a number of classes. I enjoyed taking part to the Laminating class by Rich Lamonde, from Glass Strategies, and to the gilding demonstration by Alix Gomes from Angel Gilding.

One of the pieces I created during the Lamination class at the SGAA conference.

One of the pieces I created during the Lamination class at the SGAA conference.

 

Alix Gomes demonstrating the gilding technique.

Alix Gomes demonstrating the gilding technique.

The conference featured two banquets; the first took place at the Judson Studios. Before reaching the studio, we visited the Gamble House, a National Historic Landmark in Pasadena. The House is a masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement, and features a strong focus on details and craftsmanship. The design of the house is influenced by Japanese aesthetic. We also visited the Bullseye Resource Centre located next to Judson Studios.

Glass racks at the Bullseye Resource Centre located next to Judson Studios.

Glass racks at the Bullseye Resource Centre located next to Judson Studios.

Once at Judson Studios, we had the chance to visit the building, and admire some of the work underway by Narcissus Quagliata.

A section of the impressive Judson Studios

A section of the impressive Judson Studios.

The conference ended with a one day tour of stained glass around the LA area. The tour started with the stained glass windows at the USC Caruso Catholic Center. The windows, recently designed and created by the Judson studio, feature stories from the Old and New Testament. Each window has been sponsored by a donor, who had input on the subject of the window, and provided reference material for example for some of the depicted  symbols and faces. The picture below capture some examples of these windows and details.

The tour then continued to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Los Angeles. In the basement of the cathedral are exhibited a number of stained glass panels by the Franz Mayer & Co of Munich, which where installed in the original Cathedral before being moved to the current location. The panels are beautiful and showcase the artistry of the Mayer studio. I will talk about these windows in a future post, where I will combine pictures taken during this tour with those I took in a previous visit to the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels.

The tour finished at the Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House, which features a number of original stained glass windows in the typical motifs of Frank Lloyd Wright.

I also enjoyed meeting and knowing new people. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Tom and Gayle Holdman, from Holdman Studios, in Utah. I also enjoyed chatting with David Judson, owner of Judson Studios, one of the biggest and most famous glass art studios in the US. David was a wealth of knowledge about both traditional and new glass art techniques.

Tiffany Studio: lamps at Queens Museum, NY (The Neustadt Collection)

image-197In my 2017 trip to the USA, I made a stop to admire the The Neustadt Collection of Tiffany lamps, at the Queens Museum, in New York. The collection, assembled by Dr. Egon Neustadt (1898-1984) and his wife Hildegard (1911-1961), features a number of delightful copper foil lamps created by Tiffany Studios right in Queens (in Corona to be exact).

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A Trip into Heritage Stained Glass in the US and its Conservation

Thanks to the generous support from the Storylines Art Bursary by Mark Furner MP for Ferny Grove and the James Whitney Workshop/Seminar Scholarship by the Stained Glass School/Stained Glass Association of America, I recently had the opportunity to spend few weeks in the US to further my expertise in glass conservation, in particular for heritage stained glass.

During this trip I spent some time at the Corning Museum of Glass (NY), visiting and working with Stephen Koob, Fellow of the International Institute of Conservation and the American Institute for Conservation, who is responsible for the care and preservation of all of the Museum’s collections.

 

Under Stephen’ mentorship, I have practiced conserving some damaged glass objects, including a vessel created by Frederick Carder in his carrear at Corning. I also had a chance to visit the museum and assist to the end of residency demonstration by visiting artist Dane Jack (blown glass).

 

After my time in Corning, I travelled for few days to Boston, MA, visiting some churches with heritage stained glass on the way. In Boston, I had the privilege to see a number of stained glass panels by Tiffany and La Farge, among others, including some installed in Harvard University’s Memorial Hall, generally not open to the public.

Once left Boston, I travelled to New York where I visited the Bullseye Glass Resource Center New York, the Queens and Brooklyn Museums, and the Claire Oliver Gallery (a commercial gallery that is the sole representative of Judith Schaechter’s stained glass work).

 

After New York, I travelled to Bryn Athyn, PA; not before having stopped in Princeton, NJ to admire some great stained glass from Tiffany Studios, depecting St George, and in Millville, visiting WheatonArts – the Museum of American Glass.

 

Once in Bryn Athyn, I had the opportunity to participate in a heritage stained glass conservation workshop, lead by Steve Hartley, with the help of Kenneth Leap. In the workshop, we had the opportunity to work on and examine a number of medieval and heritage stained glass panels. I also had the chance to return to Philadelphia to admire Tiffany’s Dream Garden mosaic and some stained glass in a church and in the local museum.

Next, I continued my trip and I drove to Washington, where I returned to visit the Washington National Cathedral, including the Stained Glass Association of America’s annual exhibition. Details of glass panel by Kathy Barnard below.

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Finally, I concluded my journey in Los Angeles.  There I visited the St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, which has several Harry Clark’s windows, and the Forest Lawn – Glendale – Great Mausoleum. There, I had the chance to see ‘The last supper’, the famous painting of Leonardo da Vinci, but in the form of a stained glass window. The museum also had on exposition a few wonderful panels by Franz Mayer & Co. of Munich — but the greatest collection of Mayer’s windows in Los Angeles was in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. A true art supper for the stained glass lovers.

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I will post on this blog some stories and images from my trip, including images of Tiffany’s stained glass and lamps, La Farge stained glass masterpieces, fantastic glass artworks from the Corning Museum of Glass, and much more. So, keep looking!

“The Visitation” at The Cloisters

The stained glass window “The Visitation” at the Metropolitan Museum/Cloisters (New York City) captures a scene from the life of the Virgin Mary described in the Gospel of Luke. I saw this window in my recent travel to the US last September and it particularly fascinated me. This is the first of a number of blog posts I will dedicate to my 2016 US trip.

 

The Visitation @ Met Cloisters; full window.

The Visitation @ Met Cloisters; full window.

If you are not familiar with the story of the visitation, here is a brief version, before we get to look at the window. After the Annunciation, Mary leaves Nazareth and goes to the city of Judah to visit her cousin Elizabeth. In the Christian symbolism, Mary’s visit represents her intention to bring the divine grace to Elizabeth and her unborn son. At that time, in fact, both women were pregnant; Mary carried Jesus and Elizabeth was pregnant with  John the Baptist.

I just love the climate of this stained glass window: there is something warm in it.  The window transpires compassion, calm and joy. The women are holding their hands and touching the arms, witnessing the strong friendship between Mary and Elizabeth, along with their familiarity and fondness.

The Visitation @ Met Cloisters; detail of faces and hands.

The Visitation @ Met Cloisters; detail of faces and hands.

The faces of Mary and Elizabeth are very delicately painted. Their traits are brushed up with only simple lines but they still are very beautifully executed. The chance in pressure of the brush when the paint was applied to the glass produced lines of different width, creating a sense of movement and dimension. This may give you the feeling that this window is rather “modern”, but instead it dates back to the late medieval time (1444).

The stained glass originally was installed at the Carmelite Church in Boppard-am-Rhein (Germany); now the window is conserved at The Met Cloisters in New York City. The window is also important in the stained glass history because with the use of an angular style in the drapery folds and the juxtaposition of colours, the author initiated a new glass painting style in the Middle Rhine region.

Leadlight restoration at Our Lady of Victories is now finished!

We have now finished the restoration of the leadlight windows at Our Lady of Victories in Bowen Hills, Queensland. The heritage-listed church was hit by the violent thunderstorm that devastated many Brisbane suburbs in November 2014. The image below show some of the damages done to the church’s window as we photographed in our original survey.

Broken windows at Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD)

Broken windows at Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD)

Damaged leadlight panel, Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD).

Damaged leadlight panel, Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD).

Damaged semicircle leadlight, Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD).

Damaged semicircle leadlight (fanlight), Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The restoration involved repairing more than 80 windows. Of these, most were removed from their original timber casements for reconstruction, while attempting to salvage as much original glass as possible, and match the new glass with the original one. Those with minor damage and no structural concern to the lead were repaired on-site.

The matching was not easy: the windows were originally crafted by the RS Exton Studios, a painters and decorators trade who used to have their warehouse in Brisbane CBD and closed their stained glass business in 1958. The windows of the church date back probably to 1924. The original glass is not produced anymore, and the production processes and colours have since then changed. We managed to recoup some old glass through some stock we had acquired from older stained glass businesses and some demolition yards. However, for a large quantity of glass, we had to commission a custom manufacturing to some glass companies in the US to be able to match the original glass as close as possible. David from Hartley and Williams was of great help in coordinating the sourcing of this glass.

Rebuilding one of the main leadlight panels

Rebuilding one of the main leadlight panels

On the way to remove leadlights from the tower.

On the way to remove leadlights from the tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main damages were concentrated on the south side of the church; however a number of windows throughout the floors of the church’s tower were also damaged; their restoration involved the use of a crane to remove the windows, replace them with temporary perspex (transparent acrylic sheets), and after few weeks replace the restored windows in place.

On-site reparations at Our Ladies of Victories.

On-site reparations at Our Ladies of Victories.

When we remove the panels, we place temporary perspex to keep the weather out and the sunlight in.

When we remove the panels, we place temporary perspex to keep the weather out and the sunlight in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An example of a poor reparation, carried out in the past, using silicone and cardboard to fill the gap left from a broken glass

An example of a poor reparation, carried out in the past, using silicone and cardboard to fill the gap left from a broken glass.

Through the restoration process it became evident that the windows had undergone several reparations in the past, not all carried up to the highest standard. Some glass was replaced with glass that was of completely different tonalities when compared with the original glass, compromising the original history of the windows. Other glass was installed using glues or silicones: this practice is not just an eyesore, but it also puts under serious risks the integrity of the lead that gives the structure to the windows.

 

Previous repairs have not put much attention in maintaining the original characteristics of the windows: here you can see a clear colour miss-match for one of the diamond shaped glass from a panel in the church's tower.

Previous repairs have not put much attention in maintaining the original characteristics of the windows: here you can see a clear colour miss-match for one of the diamond shaped glass from a panel in the church’s tower.

Another patchwork of colours due to previous poor quality repairs. It is always difficult to match colours that are not produced anymore, but the differences in colours of the glass used for previous reparations is way too big.

Another patchwork of colours due to previous poor quality repairs. It is always difficult to match colours that are not produced anymore, but the differences in colours of the glass used for previous reparations is way too big.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Damaged semicircle leadlight, Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD).

Damaged semicircle from Our Ladies of Victories in Bowen Hills (QLD).

One of the restored large semicircle leadlight (fanlight).

One of the restored large semicircle leadlight (fanlight).

 

 

 

 

 

 

The damaged windows are now all restored to their original appearance. The larger windows are composed from two strips of four top-hinged hoppers, mostly filled with green diamond mullioned glass. The green colour of the windows is to commemorate the armed forces of World War I. Above these panels is placed a semi circular window glazed with a leadlight panel depicting a rising sun, which, continuing with the commemoration of the WWI armed forces, recalls the symbol of the First Australian Imperial Force AIF.

Some of the restored leadlight windows at Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD).

Some of the restored leadlight windows at Our Lady of Victories, Bowen Hills (QLD).

Our Lady of Victories, in Bowen Hills (QLD).

Our Lady of Victories, in Bowen Hills (QLD).

The church's cross, which was also damaged in the 2014 hail storm, is now back on the top of the tower.

The church’s cross, which was also damaged in the 2014 hail storm, is now back on the top of the tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yeronga’s Heritage Queenslander Restoration

I have recently completed the restoration of 6 leadlight panels from a heritage Queenslander home in Yeronga, Brisbane, built in 1924. The panels have a lovely floral motif and intense purple and aquamarine colours. While the panels were not damaged in the 2014 Brisbane hailstorm that heavily damaged a lot of heritage stained glass windows in the area, they did suffer the harsh Queensland sun and the lead was crumbling down.

One of the leadlight panel before restoration. The lead is crumbling.

One of the leadlight panel before restoration. The lead is crumbling.

Detail of one leadlight panel showing bowing in correspondence of the flower motif.

Detail of one leadlight panel showing bowing in correspondence of the flower motif.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Interestingly, the same motif was present in other leadlight windows around the house’s veranda: these windows were in immaculate conditions because soon after building, the veranda was enclosed to add more indoor space to the house.

Restored leadlight panels and timber frame casements installed in place at the heritage-listed Yeronga residence.

Restored leadlight panels and timber frame casements installed in place at the heritage-listed Yeronga residence.

The restored windows shining through the night.

The restored windows shining through the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of the leadlight panel during the rebuilding phase.

One of the leadlight panel during the rebuilding phase.

 

 

 

The restoration of these windows  was carried out in 6 weeks and all the panels were rebuilt from scratch maintaining the same width and type of lead cames. Few glass pieces were broken but fortunately we were able to match the original glass with some heritage glass we had in stock in Glass Artistry’s studio, thus maintaining the original design: at Glass Artistry, we always strive to matching the glass that needs replacement as close as possible.

The restored leadlight windows installed in the Yeronga house.

The restored leadlight windows installed in the Yeronga house.

Along with the restored panels, we provided to the owners a full report detailing the status of the windows. We also organised for the restoration of the original timber frames of the leadlight windows. Once we removed the leadlight, my collaborator John Britnell from JayBee Woodworks took all silky oak frames apart, brought them back to bare timber, reconstructed the damaged portion by inserting matching silky oak. John then stained the internal part of frames by carefully recreating the original stained and also recoated the external part of the frames.

John from JayBee Woodworks completing the installation of a leadlight panel into its timber frame casement.

John from JayBee Woodworks completing the installation of a leadlight panel into its timber frame casement.

John and I applying the last touches to the restored timber frames with the installed leadlights.

John and I applying the last touches to the restored timber frames with the installed leadlights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The owners of the restored leadlight panels sent me a very kind email of appreciation of the restoration works:

Hi Magda,
As you know, both Shirley and I are extremely happy with the service you have provided in the restoration of our windows.  You showed the utmost care, from understanding our needs at the beginning of the project, through to the planning and execution of the work.
Your skill and artistry has added a great deal of heritage value to our home, and we would not hesitate to recommend your services.
So, thank you again for your professionalism and for the obvious passion you have for your craft, you really looked after us.
All the best for the future, and our sincerest gratitude for all your efforts.
Warm regards,
Luke Harrison
 
The restored leadlight panels ready for installation.

The restored leadlight panels ready for installation.

Harry Clarke, in Glasgow

In my recent trip to Europe, I visited Glasgow, Scotland. I used to live and work in Glasgow few years ago, and it was there that I specialised in art glass design and worked in great glass projects for the Verrier Glass Studio, including the creation of leadlight windows and the restoration of heritage stained glass in Glasgow.

Harry Clarke's stained glass "The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin", at Glasgow's Kelvingrove Museum, Scotland.

Harry Clarke’s stained glass “The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin”, at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum, Scotland.

Harry Clarke's stained glass window "Ascension", at St Stephen Cathedral in Brisbane, Queensland.

Harry Clarke’s stained glass window “Ascension”, at St Stephen Cathedral in Brisbane, Queensland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was to my great joy that a beautiful stained glass window by Irish artist Harry Clarke was on display at the Kelvingrove museum. Harry Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was a proficient stained glass artist and he created more than 130 windows which are characterised by rich colours (especially deep blues), fine drawings and the integration of the lead cames themselves into the design of the stained glass window (which remind the heavy lines in his black&white book illustrations). An example of Clarke’s stained glass windows is also in the St Stephen’s Catholic Cathedral in Brisbane (known as the “Ascension” or “Mayne” window, because in memory of Isaac and William Mayne). This window was commissioned to Clarke and imported from Ireland in the early part of the twentieth century (about 1923).

The window in Glasgow is titled “The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin” and, as the Brisbane’w window, it also was realised in 1923, as recorded along with Clarke’s signature in the bottom right corner of the rightmost panel (see image). The window is made up of 20 panels and was originally installed in the Convent Chapel in the Teacher Training College in Dowanhill Glasgow, Scotland, but has now been removed and is assembled into an exhibition frame in Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Museum. The window was commissioned by Sister Mary of St Wilfrid of The Sisters of Notre Dame and Principal of the Teacher Training College.

Detail of the faces of the Virgin.

Detail of the faces of the Virgin.

Detail of two praying people.

Detail of two praying people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The window contains all the motifs that make Clarke’s work famous around the word: the deep blue colours of the Virgin’s dress, the delicate drawings of the faces of the people pictured in the window (see the details in the images above), and the inclusion of the lead as integral part of the design, for example dictating the flow of the Virgin’s dress and the drip of water in the central panel.

Detail from Harry Clarke's “The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin” at The Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.

Detail from Harry Clarke’s “The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin” at The Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow, Scotland.

Harry Clarke's signature on the window, with date.

Harry Clarke’s signature on the window, with date.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stained Glass Restoration at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Woollongabba

Recently I have restored some stained glass panels for another Brisbane’s leadlight studio, following a previous reparation I did for them for a panel in the church of Auchenflower-Milton. I was asked to recreate the paintings for two small panels from the Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Woollongabba, while they would have taken care of the re-leading of the panels and the installation in the church. The stained glass windows were damaged during the wild hailstorm that hit Brisbane in November 2014.

Left damaged leadlight panel from the Holy Trinity church in Wooloongabba (QLD).

Left damaged leadlight panel from the Holy Trinity church in Wooloongabba (QLD).

Right damaged leadlight panel from the Holy Trinity church in Wooloongabba (QLD).

Right damaged leadlight panel from the Holy Trinity church in Wooloongabba (QLD).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The two panels picture two kneeling angels holding a papyrus paper with a writing to commemorate the memory of Wellington and Amily Wilham, parents of the original window’s commissioners. The elaborated wings of the angels are turquoise, their dress is acid green and the faces are delicately painted.

Detail of the face of the angel in the right stained glass panel.

Detail of the face of the angel in the right stained glass panel.

The small panels were brought into Glass Artistry’s studio with damages to the face of the left angel and the wing of the right angel. Also the glass containing the dedication message was scattered into a number of small pieces, and other smaller border pieces with decorative leaves were also irreparably broken or missing. In total, there were about 30 glass pieces broken that required to be recreated.

The original damaged head of the angel on the left panel (Left) and the one I painted (Right).

The original damaged head of the angel on the left panel (Left) and the one I painted (Right).

Left panel and the newly painted pieces.

Left panel and the newly painted pieces.

 

 

 

 

 

The two stained glass panels with the newly painted pieces substituting the damaged ones.

The two stained glass panels with the newly painted pieces substituting the damaged ones.

 

Stained Glass Restoration at Anglican Parish of Auchenflower-Milton

Recently I have restored some stained glass panels for another Brisbane’s leadlight studio. I was asked to recreate the paintings for a large stained glass window from the Anglican Parish of Auchenflower-Milton, while they would have taken care of the re-leading of the window and its installation in the church. The stained glass window was damaged during the wild hailstorm that hit Brisbane in November 2014.

Window with the newly painted pieces in position before leading the panel together.

Window with the newly painted pieces in position before leading the panel together.

The window depicted the baptism of Christ. Many of the glass pieces were missing or were completely broken, and an accurate photographic documentation of the original window did not exist, making the restoration complex. Indeed, only a low resolution picture, taken at an angle, was available (see below).

The only image available of the original window was of poor quality and taken at an angle. Here, it's a colour printout at real scale dimensions.

The only image available of the original window was of poor quality and taken at an angle. Here, it’s a colour printout at real scale dimensions.

The newly painted pieces created to substitute the original glass pieces damaged by the hailstorm.

The newly painted pieces created to substitute the original glass pieces damaged by the hailstorm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detail of the restoration. Original arm of John the Baptist (Top) and the new painted piece as replacement (Bottom).

Detail of the restoration. Original arm of John the Baptist (Top) and the new painted piece as replacement (Bottom).

Detail of the restoration. Original face of John the Baptist (Left) and the new painted piece as replacement (Right).

Detail of the restoration. Original face of John the Baptist (Left) and the new painted piece as replacement (Right).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Detail of the restoration. Original belt from the dress of Jesus (Top) and the new painted piece as replacement (Bottom).

Detail of the restoration. Original belt from the dress of Jesus (Top) and the new painted piece as replacement (Bottom).

 

Detail of the restoration. Original cup with holy water (Left) and the new painted piece as replacement (Right).

Detail of the restoration. Original cup with holy water (Left) and the new painted piece as replacement (Right).