Five Stained Glass Windows
by Ian Mitchell
Title
Five Stained Glass Windows
Artist
Ian Mitchell
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Stained-glass windows have been admired for their utility and beauty since ancient Rome, when pieces of colored glass were assembled into patterned window frames. In Europe, the art of stained glass reached its height between 1150 and 1500, when magnificent windows were created for great cathedrals.
The basic ingredients for making glass are sand and wood ash (potash). The mixture is melted into liquid which, when cooled, becomes glass. To color the glass, certain powdered metals are added to the mixture while the glass is still molten. Molten glass can be blown into a sausage shape, then slit on the side before being flattened into a sheet; it can also be spun with a pontil iron into a round sheet (crown). A window's pictorial image is created by arranging the different pieces of colored glass over the design drawn on a piece of board. If fine details such as shadows or outlines are required, the artist paints them on the glass with black paint.
To assemble the window, pieces of colored and painted glass are laid out on the design board, with the edges of each piece fitted into H-shaped strips of lead (cames). These cames are soldered to one another so that the panel is secure. When a panel is completed, putty is inserted between the glass and the lead cames for waterproofing. The entire composition is then stabilized with an iron frame (armature) and mounted in the window.
Uploaded
July 2nd, 2013
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Comments (3)
Kellice Swaggerty
Another beautiful masterpiece, Ian! You achieve the perfect balance between light, shadow, and color. v/f
Gini Heywood
Ian - Your richly stylized "Photo Art" is superb! Your works really should be showcased in British History Magazine, National Geographic Magazine, & other top drawer publications (if you are not featured there already.) I feel like I want to just grab my brush, dip it into your lush "palette," & splash away on my canvas! By the way, you write well...have you considered writing articles - which could be illustrated with your pictures - as a way to "open the market"? Thanks for sharing your talent with us. - Gini f/v