Stained glass

 There are  many ways that stained and coloured glass can be used in a domestic setting - for privacy, to reduce glare, to block an unsightly view, or to accent a space such as a stairwell. I have had the pleasure of spending the last few days with Elizabeth Beard, a stained glass maker from the UK, so it seemed like a great opportunity to get her thoughts on this art form. All the photos in today's blog are examples of her work in domestic settings. She has also done extensive work in commercial and religious settings, which we will look at in a future blog.

Probably the most practical application of stained glass is to provide privacy: the glass can be coloured, painted or obscure (textured) glass or any combination. Strictly speaking, stained glass is painted with the finer details and the glass is the fired in a kiln to fix the paint. The term is loosely used to describe leaded-light work, fused glass and other variations of decorative glasswork. The photo below is a detail of a panel made from some repurposed leaded light windows that used obscured glass with a variety of textures in uncoloured and coloured pieces.

Detail of a repurposed leaded-light panel with several textures

Elizabeth has had various projects where the owners have done additions and a glazed external door or window are now enveloped by the new extension. In the photo below, the coloured glass and design of the leadwork provide visual separation, the decorative glass panel draws attention to the door and not the view beyond, while still letting light through.

This elegant design provides an accent to a passage door

The next photo is of a panel for a toilet where the external window has become internalised through an addition to the house. The delicate detailing is achieved through fusing the coloured glass pieces onto a larger uncoloured background, the four pieces are joined with lead to give structure to the composition. This window is installed with back lighting, so that the colours are visible from inside the toilet.

Fused glass allows for very delicate details

Stained glass can also carry a special meaning for the owners: it may relate to the name of the house, or the occupation or special interest of the inhabitant. An example in Elizabeth's ouvre is for a house named St Andrews, whose owner is a passionate golfer - the glass is designed with a representation of the saint, with a background representing a golf course, with the reference to the famous St Andrews golf curse in Scotland. The glass could simply have the name of the house, as shown in the photo below: this would allow filtered light into the entrance in the daytime, and would be lit up form inside to make it clearly visible from outside at night.

A fanlight to an entrance door with the house name

Stained glass can also be used to accentuate a space: the photo below is in the stairwell of a house owned by a marine biologist who requested a design in several panels with scenes depicting life under the sea, and the top panel depicting a sunset over the waves. 

Panel in the home of a marine biologist

People who commission works in the UK are often quite adventurous in their selection of themes and narratives. Others commission completely abstract works, or works that frame a view, creating a play of focus between the interior (the decorative glasswork) and the exterior. The photos below are a quirky take on public loos - when someone turns on the bathroom light, the fanlight lights up!

The sign lights up when someone is using the bathroom with the light on

This brings up a very important consideration if you are thinking of having some decorative panels in your own home - the direction of the light. As you can see from the photos above, the design is fairly visible even when the viewer is on the side with more light, but the work really becomes visible in all its detail when lit from behind. 

This is but a small selection of Elizabeth's work - the applications are endless and only bounded by the creativity of the glass artist. Even this repurposed set of panels are testament to her imagination and craftsmanship in designing around the existing shapes, colours and textures.

A new lease of life for some old glass