It started with a huge sash window in a Victorian house along a busy street...

(Photo courtesy of Robin Marcus).

and a love for the work of Lyonel Feininger...

 

 

Amazing abstracted cityscapes full of the dynamic energy and chaos of urban life.

 

The brief; stained glass to go in the lower half of the sash and the design to include The Gherkin, Southwark Cathedral, Battersea Power Station, The London Eye and The Shard. 

 

Images for the design were researched from many angles and quarters;

 

Fantastic cranes in front of Battersea Power Station

(Photo credit Adrian Welch at http://www.e-architect.co.uk/)

 

The Gherkin 

(Photo credit; http://www.londontown.com/)

 

Southwark Cathedral

(Photo credit; http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page)

 

The Shard

(Photo credit; Matt Crossick Empics Entertainment, http://mcrossick.co.uk/)

 

Thames shore views

(Photo credit; Ian Visits http://www.ianvisits.co.uk/)

 

Initial design;

 

New ideas based more on the long shot photo view

(Photo credit; Frank)

 

Revised design;

 

To maximise the light the glasses chosen were a variety of clear textured glasses (both old and new) with some opaque white glass, iridescent glass, opalescent faceted jewels and clear globs. 

 

Pasting up to check the glasses in different lights before leading. A huge variety of glasses were used from England, America and China with many different textures - a real celebration of the skill of the surface glass designers (those both long gone and brand new)! Glass names like Glistre, Cross Reed (wide and narrow), Small Arctic, Rivuletta, Flemish (large and small and grainy and clear!), Granite, Corded, Ripple, Sparkle, Kokomo, Wide Drop Reed, Festival ... phew... Spotlite, Pilkintons Hammered Number 2 (and 3!), Borealis, Muranese, Quarter Reed, Lustre, Venetian, Rain Water, Fibroid, Artique, Everglade, Krinkle, Master Carre, Fractolite, Gluechip, Delta Mate, Masterpoint, Chantilly, Chinchilla (I think..), Mayflower and some weird and wonderful glasses I don't know what the names are!

Leading up, soldering and cementing...

 

 

 

 

First Glimpses in fading light...

 

Ian's amazing metal bar (and frames)...

 

Ian Marshall; http://www.marshalli.co.uk/

 

The colour absorbency of clear textured glass;

is the glass blue?

or red?

(Photo courtesy of Robin Marcus).

At night the glass reflects light back and picks up passing headlights.

 (Photo courtesy of Robin Marcus) 

 

(Photo courtesy of Robin Marcus).

 

Job done!