Postcard from the Past

Postcard from the Past.

I hadn’t made anything out of glass in 2026 until last weekend when I chopped and assembled pieces together to make a window of a window as seen on the lightbox above with a pen for scale. On top of the desire to make something was the need to cut parts out of a large unsuccessful panel and combine them with samples and old bits to remind me of what I want from my work. In the sandblasted window is a view of a landscape I painted in 1983, like a postcard from the past. In the centre are the blocks of colour chopped out of the unsuccessful panel, a lovely blue and a green that turns brown on the tin side of glass (below right).

Sample window, 475 × 510 mm. and detail of the unsuccessful panel.

And at the bottom is the grid reference of the cabin in the Adirondacks that Juliet Goodden drew originally in 1982 (below left). That became a painting (below right) on which I’m intending to base a window for her new bathroom.

Drawing and painting by Juliet Goodden.

Left: Through the blind. Right: bottom right corner with colour stripes.

As soon as I saw the panel in the kiln after its first firing I knew that it hadn’t worked - the colours were wrong, the enamelling was too thick, therefore bubbly, and the sandblast grit was too fine. I could only stand looking at it through the blind (above left) or in little sections (above right) and was delighted to chop it up.

Full size drawing for the panel, 881 × 786 mm and sample of intended colours.

The other technical problem was the fact that all my samples (of which a lovely pale example is shown above) were on a different thickness and manufacturer of glass, so for the new attempt I’ll do my colour samples on a glass match. The mini versions of the design (below), like the new sample window, look best against daylight where the play of transparency and opacity really works. A new version of the cabin interior is now in development having become part of a series in the ongoing and enjoyable dialogue with my friend and fellow artist.

Four little samples showing the development of the design.

Number 110

A row of windows - view from the outside at night.

Last Monday we delivered, installed and unveiled a row of windows that Rob and Lorna Ryan had commissioned for the front of their workshop in Bethnal Green, London E2. I’ve written about making them in a previous blog post here, all without showing how the design joined up, flying from one end of the sequence to the other where you find the number 110.

Window 1 on the workbench : In my studio window : Windows 1 & 2 installed.

Window 1 (above) is designed around a floating oval which was the last piece of glass I cut. I agonised over which of the streaky colour combinations to use, in the end going for the most vibrant glass I had, golden yellow with green to tie in with the pale green that runs through the design. The painting stage took a long time as I worked out the best way of tying the shapes together with black and grey oxide and enamel painted across the lead lines - you can see this in a ring around the number 110 below and the same pieces of glass on the lightbox before painting and sand blasting. When we installed the last two windows the sun came out casting a shadow of the number on the wall and a flash of the bright pink glass above it.

Window 4, working out the painting : Detail of the number in my studio window : Windows 3 & 4 installed.

A row of windows - view from the inside in the daytime.

Approximately one third of the glass in the row of windows is clear, this maintains their connection to the large windows below them and also to the world beyond the windows with its blocks of flats, tree tops and big patches of sky. Previously the glass in the windows was opaque so now we are letting more of the outside in.

These photos (above and below) show the row of windows in the context of the workshop. It wasn’t too hard to fit in with their aesthetic as I’ve known Rob and Lorna for more than forty years since we were at art college together. If you’re not familiar with Rob Ryan’s work you can find it on this website and there are examples of his drawings and Lorna’s paintings on the green wall in the sitting room (below). Next to the green wall is the curtain made of a patchwork of silk scarves, a wonderful thing that inspired the spirit of my glass design. The blue wall (above) is equally crammed with art - I’m very happy to have my work added to this generous collection of drawings, paintings and photographs by friends and fellow artists.

The sitting room part of the workshop : wall of pictures and window with Rob’s vinyl design and silk scarf curtain.

The unveiling ceremony.

The friends and fellow artists turned up that evening for a proper unveiling ceremony where the wrapping came away without a hitch. The bright lights of the workshop spread a perfectly even light with the bonus of a reflection or two in a big black car bonnet.

Reflections in a car bonnet and invitation card by Rob.