Golden

It's been a glorious start to the Autumn. A proper Indian Summer  - all misty mornings, hazy sunshine and glowing evenings.  We've crammed a few adventures into these golden weekends; a bit of kayaking, some swimming while the sea is still warm and calm, a little foraging, sleeping out in the camper van, exploring the coastline... I wish it would never end.

>>>>>>><<<<<<<

I have just finished working on a few freelance jobs (pictured above) and am now making a start on some of my contemporary pieces for Christmas.  This year I will have some pieces available for sale at Mostyn, as well as at The Stained Glass Museum Shop.  I will also be making a large batch of singing birds for my Etsy shop. To find out when the listings are going live, sign up to my mailing list in the side bar as I will be giving advance notice to subscribers first. These usually sell out pretty quickly at this time of year, so keep an eye on your inbox.

Details

I've been looking through some pictures from our holiday in Wales last week.  I took some (distant) photos of the stained glass in the cathedral at St. Davids.  It's amazing how much detail you can spot when you can look at a window from the comfort of your computer screen.  This window of St. Nicholas by James Powell & Sons (1904) is so beautiful, it stopped all of us in our tracks.  The foliage looks even better close up.

A good full size image of the window is here.

Sacred Heart Church, Bournemouth

A couple of pictures of a window I did some painting for back in July, now re-installed at the Sacred Heart Church, Bournemouth.

The head and body of the lamb was badly broken so I painted a replacement.

I can't deny it's quite a thrill seeing my work in a church.  A few years ago I painted a replacement piece for our local church.  Whenever we go in for school services, I always like it when the girls ask "Where's your bit with the chair mummy?".

Last few days left before the end of the school holidays. It's been fun and exhausting all at once. A bit of camping, a lot of visitors, a lot of beaching and a lot of tidying. I want them to go back to school, mainly so they can stop making such a bloody mess!

Week in Pictures

1) Been working on a few non-shop bits and pieces this week - including painting some replacement pieces for a church window repair.

2) Ordered a copy of the Rob Ryan quarterly newspaper, SPQR, and it's a bit gorgeous.  I still find his work fresh and inspiring.

3) Just as I was about to recycle the envelope it came in, I found this cute little badge hiding at the bottom.

4) And in sardine news, Waitrose has the lemon ones back in stock after a 3 month drought.  Phew.

Sunday

We went to Moreton.  There is a large ford to paddle in, quite wonderful Tea Rooms and St. Nicholas church with engraved glass windows by Laurence Whistler.

We visited Lawrence of Arabia's grave in the churchyard... the girls were more interested in this poor rabbit, oddly laid next to a grave nearby.

Motto

I wasn't expecting to be quite so busy in January, 

I was expecting at least a week or two of extended tea breaks

and gentle tidyupping after all the festive mayhem.

But WALLOP, straight in with 3 commissions,

press requests, website designing and, er, the occasional tea break.

So, I have adopted this as my motto 

when I feel less than satisfied with my day's progress.

"With colour one obtains an energy that seems to stem from witchcraft." Henri Matisse

Incredible documentary on BBC4 last night as part of their Modern Masters series, on the life and work of Henri Matisse. I've seen pictures of the chapel that he designed for Vence in Southern France many times before, and always loved the beautiful stained glass...but seeing it so close up in this documentary was amazing.

Matisse was an atheist. He once wrote, "My only religion is love of the work to be created, and total sincerity." But at the end of his life, recovering from an operation that had nearly killed him, Matisse was nursed by Monique Bourgeois, who later became a Dominican nun - Sister Jacques-Marie.

To thank her, Matisse built a chapel for her and her fellow sisters in the town of Vence in southern France, designing the project right down to the last detail - including the stunning stained-glass windows, the murals, and the altar statuary. It's still in use today. (from here)

The colours are at once calming and uplifting, and the simple abstract foliage motifs still look so contemporary. You can see his influence on all sorts of modern designers, ranging from Paul Smith to Orla Kiely to Dick Bruna (true!).

If you have an hour to spare, I recommend watching the full episode, but if not, just make sure you see the last 20 minutes that focus on the chapel and the stained glass. Alistair Sooke is utterly moved by being inside the chapel, observing the changing light coming through the stained glass, and the effect it has on him.

Click here to watch on i-Player(only available for a limited period!)

Tyneham (part 1)

We visited the deserted village of Tyneham after our woodland walk. It was evacuated during the Second World War to be used for military operations, but the villagers were never allowed to return. Needless to say I spent most of my time in the church. The above two windows are rather special aren't they?



I also got some nice detailed close-ups from some of the other windows...I like collecting repeating patterns. These remind me of this design by this clever lady.

Saturday - Nikki Cass

I love the bold graphic style of this - and the colours. Some really lovely images on her site of fused glass, which I am not normally a massive fan of - but when it's done well like this, it is stunning.

Back over in my workshop - plodding on with the repairs on the angel windows...

Sunday - Stuart Low... and the latest repair job...

My next choice for the Every Day in May project is Bristol-based artist Stuart Low. His work is varied and diverse, using a wide range of techniques. But the window that I particularly responded to was this one. I love the contrast between the naive, child-like style of the birds and the technical precision of the background squares.

Later tonight I am going to make a start on the repair of these windows. Dating from approximately 1860, they will be going into a private home once refurbished. There are a few nasty cracks, and the border is in a fairly bad state, but overall the lead is in good condition and they are fairly sturdy.