4) Flora and Fauna Flowers, trees, leaves, birds, elephants, tortoises, cockerels, cows...you get the idea. Mother Nature is an excellent resource for stained glass designs.
5) The Year Still on the theme of nature, the changing seasons always bring fresh inspiration....as does the cycle of festivals and celebrations as we move through each year.
6) Trademarks and Logos Sometimes, when I've been given a brief to design a window featuring, for example, a cow, I find it really helpful to search Google Image for logos featuring cows...to look at interesting ways to break down the subject to its essential components in a few simple lines.
The other thing about logos is that they're designed to be eyecatching, visually satisfying and memorable in a way that is usually fun. Step forward, Mr Peanut, who was quite probably floating around somewhere in my head when I was designing Eugene and friends.
Images from here and here
Well, that's definitely six, but I might have to include this...
7) Victorian Domestic Stained Glass It's what I used to do when I lived and worked in London. Rows upon rows of Victorian terraces, all being refurbished and restored to their former glory by eager homeowners...the 1980s double-glazed front doors ripped out and replaced by as close a possible match to what would have been there 100 years before. Those beautfifully muted colours - heather, olive, flaxen, violet, sage, rose - juxtaposed with a jaunty red border or some brilliantly sparkling hand-spun roundels. Delicious. And the quirky charm of a hand-painted centrepiece, featuring a bright-eyed bird perched on a twig about to devour some poor little critter. I still paint these to order, it's always a pleasure to do.
I shan't tag anyone in particular, just anyone who is interested in doing this. I'd love to see what fires you up.
