This project kept me busy for most of the fall, both with the design and the construction. It challenged me in many ways but was ultimately very satisfying.
A residential project, the west facing windows were high up on the wall and relatively large, each 30" x 18". The clients only request was for a 'sunset over water'. Fortunately they did not ask for sailboats or seagulls! Living on the shores of Lake Huron, the first thought was to design with our own shoreline in mind. But I felt the design needed a few vertical elements. By adding the trees and rocks, the scene became more reminiscent of Georgian Bay.
A residential project, the west facing windows were high up on the wall and relatively large, each 30" x 18". The clients only request was for a 'sunset over water'. Fortunately they did not ask for sailboats or seagulls! Living on the shores of Lake Huron, the first thought was to design with our own shoreline in mind. But I felt the design needed a few vertical elements. By adding the trees and rocks, the scene became more reminiscent of Georgian Bay.
Part of the challenge was to create a design which extended over all three windows, with each window also being a fully realized composition in its own right.
I was very familiar with doing water, but had never done a sunset before. I spent a lot of time looking, really looking at sunsets. Fortunately I live in a place where sunset viewing is easy to do. An evening walk to the bluff overlooking the lake was already a familiar routine. I also looked at many photographs of sunsets. They varied so much. I was paying particular attention to the transition of light and color from where the sun went down to areas further away. There were often clouds, the edges illuminated from the setting sun. These were all elements which I thought I could use.
In terms of composition, the clients and I decided that the middle window should be the main focus of the sunset, with the colors fading to softer tones moving away from the main show. I was very happy with the sense of movement within the panels. Each window to the right and left had a strong vertical element. The pine trees formed a bracket around the center. The pine trees were sandblasted on painted glass using a photo resist. These,and the other painted elements were some of the first things created. Next, I cut the glass for the rocks and the water. Finally I chose and cut the colors for the sky.
I was very familiar with doing water, but had never done a sunset before. I spent a lot of time looking, really looking at sunsets. Fortunately I live in a place where sunset viewing is easy to do. An evening walk to the bluff overlooking the lake was already a familiar routine. I also looked at many photographs of sunsets. They varied so much. I was paying particular attention to the transition of light and color from where the sun went down to areas further away. There were often clouds, the edges illuminated from the setting sun. These were all elements which I thought I could use.
In terms of composition, the clients and I decided that the middle window should be the main focus of the sunset, with the colors fading to softer tones moving away from the main show. I was very happy with the sense of movement within the panels. Each window to the right and left had a strong vertical element. The pine trees formed a bracket around the center. The pine trees were sandblasted on painted glass using a photo resist. These,and the other painted elements were some of the first things created. Next, I cut the glass for the rocks and the water. Finally I chose and cut the colors for the sky.
 Right window with sandblasted pines on rocky island. Cutting the glass.  Glass samples on the light table |  Left window, cutting the glass for the water and rocks. Hills in the background.  Center window, cutting the sunset colors. The colors appear dark while resting on the work bench, without illumination from behind.  Installation went off without a hitch. We had checked the framing within the opening before the glass was installed. |
Every stained glass project is a series of decisions. So many choices to be made. Installation day is when you discover if those choices were good ones. The ah-ha moment! Placing the windows in the openings utterly transformed the room. The clients were thrilled!
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