"Winter" in Stained Glass

      Over a year ago I embarked on a journey that would take me on many nature hikes during every season. The visual images that filled my camera have become the inspiring fuel powering my culminating project for the 2012 Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship Program. I have been designing and creating 4 large stained glass panels, each depicting one of the four seasons. My last blog post detailed how I created an homage to springtime using the copper foil method.

Tree of Life window by Frank Lloyd Wright
DarwinMartin House, 1904, Buffalo, New York

      When I had finally completed "Spring," it was time to move on to the next panel.  Logically, Summer would have been next, right?  Not so if you are the proud owner an ADD brain like mine. I was beating my head against the proverbial wall attempting to force onto paper something resembling a summery design. So I procrastinated - my preferred coping mechanism.  In the meantime, my family had taken a trip to Chicago (read about that here and here) where we visited the Art Institute. While there I stumbled upon some leaded glass windows by several Craftsman style artists including Frank Lloyd Wright, one of my favorites. From then on, I was determined to create at least one of my panels using characteristics of the Craftsman, or Prairie, style...strong geometric lines and shapes, earthy and neutral colors, lots of symmetrical patterns.

It didn't take long for me to abandon realistic designs (that weren't flowing very freely anyway)
 for a more geometric interpretation of nature.  

            Since I was failing miserably at coming up with a great realistic interpretation of something summery, I decided to abandon that approach and try a complete reversal...a new season, and a new style. It was kismet. I had recently taken a winter hike just down the road at a nearby nature preserve, and had some fresh photos on my camera. (Yes, I procrastinated right through Autumn!) I got lucky; I took only one winter hike and from that hike had the photos I needed to formulate a design plan for "Winter!"  

This picture contains the color palette that I would use in my "Winter" panel:
white, grayish, light amber, and dark amber.

      The winter landscape lends itself nicely to a Craftsman style interpretation in many ways.  The colors of an Indiana winter are very neutral with lots of white, grays, and various shades of amber or brown.  The absence of most foliage and undergrowth allows the geometric lines and patterns of the tree branches, fallen logs, and naked plants to become the main scenic focus.  

I liked how these dead, snow covered leaves took on a diamond appearance, and decided to use the diamond shape in a pattern in my panel - amber on the bottom, white on top.

The strong diagonal angles in this photo would be almost completely hidden from view on a summer's day.  The angular elements of this photo inspired the structure of my "Winter" panel.

            After perusing my collection of wintery photos and determining how I would use them in my design, I came to the conclusion that this would be a good time to part ways with the copper foil method of making stained glass.

The challenge in constructing a stained glass design in this way is that all the pieces are somewhat mobile until the solder is added last.  You can see that I've used horseshoe nails to hold everything steady until then.

       Luckily, I had recently completed a class at GlassLink in Fort Wayne where I learned (or rather, re-learned) how to create a stained glass panel using the leaded glass technique.  You can read a detailed description of this method here and here. Rather than using adhesive copper foil tape on each glass piece, I would be using lead came to interlock all the glass pieces together, then solder them in place.

"Winter's" design is taking shape.

       One of several advantages of the leaded glass method is that there is very little need to grind each piece of glass after it's cut, since the edges will be hidden inside the lead channels. With no grinding and no foiling, this panel went together rather quickly. After all the pieces are locked in place with the lead came, it's time to solder.

The only soldering needed is at the joints. 

Where each section of lead came comes together, a blob of solder is added to cover the gaps and create a permanent connection.

      Another advantage is the soldering routine.  When surrounding each piece of glass with lead came, it eliminates the need to add more lead solder as in the copper foiling method. Therefore, the only soldering necessary is at the joints.  A panel this large done in the copper foil method would take at least a couple of hours to solder just one side.  Using this method, I was done with both sides in just under 30 minutes!

The magical chemical that changes all silver to black with just the swipe of a paintbrush!

      Only one step left before framing: patina!  Lead in it's natural state is generally silver. The stained glass artist has a choice of leaving it silver or chemically altering it to look black.  Most of the time the artist makes this choice based on how it will effect the overall look of the design.  I decided my lead needed to be black.  

So easy...brush it on - instant black! 

I've learned to avoid too much skin contact, as it will turn your  hands black, too.  And not in a patina kind of way, in a chemical burn kind of way!

      After a quick wash, and some help from my Frame-Guy (dear old Dad), I have successfully completed panel #2, "Winter!"  So very different from the "Spring" panel, but a tremendous learning experience!

I love how this Craftsman style panel interprets winter imagery in a geometric, abstract way.

This multiple personality panel looks very different when viewed in different environments and lighting.  This is a view with the light source from the backside. 

There are areas of a special iridized glass in this panel. I think the trickiest part of the entire project was getting photos to show the iridescent shimmer!   

TWO down, two to go! 

Stay tuned to see what seasonal glass creation I came up with next.

Toledo Museum of Art Glass Pavilion

Vitrana, by Dominick Labino
at the Glass Pavilion of the Toledo Museum of Art

      About three weeks ago my family and I played hooky from a half day of school and work, and took a road trip to the Glass Pavilion of the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio.  I had planned this trip as part of my Lilly Teacher Creativity Fellowship activities long ago, and have been anxiously awaiting our visit to this museum within a museum.  

Three people who probably should not set foot anywhere near a museum filled with g l a s s.
I had my reservations about taking the 3 Stooges inside the Glass Pavilion with me, but approaching the doors of the museum gave me my first glimpse of the glass treasures within - the Dale Chihuly blown glass chandelier hanging inside the front door.  I decided I couldn't keep them from enjoying these gorgeous glass masterpieces with me. 

      The Glass Pavilion was built in 2006 to house the Toledo Museum of Art's world-renowned glass collection.  The collection features more than 5,000 works of glass art from ancient to contemporary times. I could barely contain my delight at seeing so many beautiful glass creations.  But most of all, I was breathlessly anticipating the stained glass pieces I would find here. The search begins...

The Glass Pavilion has it's own glass blowing studio, so renowned glass blowing artists are featured prominently in this museum.  The above chandelier, Campiello Remer #2, was produced by Dale Chihuly. Even though it is colorless, it is breathtaking!  Especially when you are used to seeing Chihuly's art only in pictures. 

Close-up detail of Campiello Remer #2 showing the striated textures on each and every
hand-blown piece.

Untitled, by Toots Zynsky
This bowl shape is made entirely of fused glass threads

       As we continue the search for what I'm sure will be an awe-inspiring collection of stained glass (and trying to dodge the overly-protective docent who keeps eyeing my children with suspicious glances), we find several interesting pieces of unique glass art along the way.

One of Hank's very favorite activities at home is to grab a bottle of Windex and "wash" the windows.  Imagine his delight upon eyeing this bedazzled bottle of his favorite window cleaner!

Still Life With Pear, by Flora Mace and Joey Kirkpatrick
I think my grandma used to have a set of this glass fruit on her coffee table.  

Nope. Not unless Grandma found her glass fruit at the Jolly Green Giant's garage sale.

Evelynn and Hank resting a moment on a glass bench.
Evelynn: "Sitting on glass feels really strange. What if it breaks? Will I get in trouble?"
Hank: "I don't have a problem with it!"

      By now we've seen some amazing works of glass art.  I was very impressed with how the museum was able to light the glass pieces to richly, especially at night.  There is still so much to see. They must keep the stained glass pieces at the very far end...right?

Prussian Blue and Oxblood Persian Pair, by Dale Chihuly

Sovereign Cloister--Beyond War, by Michael Glancy

Reverse-Painted Mirror Portrait of Elizabeth Graham, Chinese, Quianlong Period

        Amazing glass art from ancient times to modern day...but I still can't seem to locate the stained glass pieces.  After locating the suspicious docent who has been stalking us throughout our tour, I ask for directions to the room where I can see the stained glass.  He points the way, and I am giddy with anticipation...

Until I see this...

A very unflattering view of Francis Chigot's Garden in the Rain.

      I have waited almost a year to visit this museum, to see beautiful, world renowned stained glass.  I am breathless to see what glorious creations are stored in this museum so far from home...and when I finally reach my destination, the glass is unlit.  It is dark, dull, and ever-so disappointing.  I can see my own reflection in the glass better than I can see the glass's design or colors.  And my reflection is horrified, mortified, and overwhelmingly sad.

These are four panels of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained glass designs.  Forgive my out-of-focus photo, I was trying not to sob too openly during this shot.

      We have no choice now, but to leave.  We visit the rest of the Toledo Museum of Art, which has a wonderful selection of relevant artworks, but my heart is just not in it at this point.  I was momentarily cheered when we found a small stained glass window inside the main museum by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Avery Coonley Playhouse Window, 1912, by Frank Lloyd Wright
I saw a matching window from the same playhouse during my visit to the Art Institute of Chicago.

        Will I ever get to see the 5 stained glass pieces I traveled across state lines to visit?  Or is this trip destined to become a sad memory of what "could have been?"  

      Stay tuned for the conclusion of "The Saga of the Unlit Stained Glass."

Chagall's America Windows, and other delights, at the Art Institute of Chicago,

The Art Institute of Chicago

      This past summer my family and I made a trip to the Windy City to visit some popular tourist attractions.  After a wonderful tour of the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows at Navy Pier, we made our way to the Art Institute of Chicago.  My husband and I have been making the Art Institute a standard stop during our visits to Chicago since before we were married.  This was Evelynn and Hank's very first visit. Hank, age 5, was not impressed...until we came upon the Thorne Miniature rooms. 

German Sitting Room of the "Biedermeier" Period 

      Hank was enraptured by these tiny, but so realistic, perfectly furnished rooms, and we had to inspect all 68 of them.  I'm sure Hank's little imagination was entertaining thoughts of how his G.I. Joes could utilize these perfectly-sized spaces!  
      Evelynn was thrilled to find some paintings by her very favorite artist, Claude Monet.

Evelynn with Water Lily Pond, by Claude Monet

Evelynn with Monet's Cliff Walk at Pourville

      As pleased as I was that my kiddos were finding art that they could appreciate at the Institute, I was chomping at the bit to reach my own destination of choice...the America Windows, an exhibit of stained glass designed by Russian artist Marc Chagall.  

      The America Windows were created specifically for the Art Institute in 1977, as part of Chicago's rich tradition of public art.  

Panel #1 of America Windows, depicting the musical arts

      The story of the America Window's inception begins in the early 1970s, when Chagall came to the city to work on his mosaic installed outside Chase Tower, The Four Seasons. In response to the city’s enthusiasm for his work and the Art Institute’s great support, the artist offered to create a set of stained-glass windows for the museum. 

Panel #2 of America Windows, depicting the fine arts

      Over the course of the following three years, plans were clarified and Chagall decided that the windows would commemorate America’s bicentennial. 

Panel #3 of America Windows, depicting literature

      The resulting six-panel work celebrates the country as a place of cultural and religious freedom, detailing the arts of music, painting, literature, theater, and dance. 

Panel #4 of America Windows, depicting America's cultural freedoms

      Because of his admiration for Chicago and its strong commitment to public art during the 1960s and 1970s, Chagall chose to dedicate the work to Mayor Richard J. Daley, a great supporter of public art projects. 

Panel #5 of America Windows, depicting the dramatic arts

      The America Windows were first presented with much fanfare at a formal unveiling, hosted by the Auxiliary Board of the Art Institute, on May 15, 1977.

Panel #6 of America Windows, depicting the art of dance

      My previous blog post detailed my tour through the Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows, where I was enlightened by the glass making techniques of Louis Comfort Tiffany.  The Chagall windows are SO DIFFERENT!  Like at the Smith Museum, I was able to approach these windows within mere inches and study up close the physical glass work. In so doing, I realized that this masterpiece of glass art is made of actual "stained" glass.   

Detail from Panel #4 

      Stained glass is, literally, stained glass.  It is glass that has been painted, kiln fired, and the result is glass that appears colored.  But sheet glass (used in Tiffany's studios) is different. Pigments are added to the "recipe" of glass ingredients before the glass is formed (see the glass making process here), which creates a sheet of glass that is colored through and through, not just on one surface.  

Detail from Panel #1

      Chagall employed French stained-glass artist Charles Marq to physically piece the individual glass sections to Chagall's specifications. Upon completion of the glass surface, Chagall painted his designs onto the glass using metallic oxide paints that were permanently fused to the glass through a subsequent heating process. 

Detail from Panel #6

      Not only did he paint the vibrant blue background and colored areas, but he also painted the drawn-looking details throughout the 8' x 30' glass masterpiece.

Sketchy painted detail from Panel #1

      But of course, after waiting who-knows how long for me to visually digest all the vivid creativity before me, my family became restless and it was time to move along.  It was an awesome day, yet tiring, so we were off to hit the gift shop and catch the train home.  But on the way out something caught my eye...

Window from the Avery Coonley Playhouse, 1912, by Frank Lloyd Wright

      We had stumbled upon a small collection of architectural leaded glass windows!  To the groans of my weary companions, I whipped out my camera one last time.  

Detail of a window from the Emil Bach House, Chicago, 1915

      It just so happens that I am a huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style designs, architectural and otherwise...an have always been intrigued by the geometric intricacies of his leaded glass window designs. Lucky me!  I was again in the presence of glass art greatness!  

Window from the Robert W. Evans House, Chicago, 1908

      What is the difference between "leaded glass" windows and "stained glass" windows? Nothing really. "Lead" refers to the strips of metal between the pieces of glass holding them together. Many artists often refer to a window that is assembled with mostly clear glass as a leaded glass window, but panels that are assembled with stained glass are also referred to as leaded.

Tomek House: Spare Window, 1907

      After the unexpected pleasure of a run-in with Frank Lloyd Wright, it was off to the gift shop and on home.  We were a ragged band of travelers by this time so the crazy-driving cab driver didn't even give us pause.  We were too busy reflecting on our terrific day.