WHY INSTALL STAINED GLASS?
There are only a few reasons for installing stained glass. Often it is to overcome the "ordinariness" of an area and put in some art - some emphasis - some design. In other cases it may be:
- for privacy (as in bathrooms)
- to make a statement about your style or attitude (corporate or personal)
- to impact upon the space that the window presides over
- to provoke thought
- to hang art in the wall rather than on the wall
- to hide an ugly view
An experienced glass artist will know how to interpret your needs and develop the kind of design that will work with the space. A window is never just a window. It is part of an environment and can push or pull on that environment as needed.
How to work with your glass artist.
If you are still at the planning stages: go over the detail of the plan, explaining the flow of traffic, the purpose of different rooms and spaces, typical building users and visitors, style of architecture, decor, and probable color schemes, etc.. Explain as much as you can about the environment that the window will belong to. If possible, visit the site together so that you can see how the windows lies to the sun. Look at the view that will be seen through the window - will other buildings eventually be built there? The artist needs to discuss whether you want this background obscured partially or completely, and should already have a variety of suggestions for you to consider. Also, if it is a large window, ask them for advice on mullion size and placement, as large panels of leaded glass can become flexible and are also difficult to install.
If you are considering installing a window into an existing building, then meet there with the glass designer and discuss various treatments for the window(s). Mention any preferences you have regarding color or transparency and listen carefully to the designer's suggestions and comments. They should be making notes from this conversation and already formulating some ideas. Whether you are working on an existing building or looking at a proposed one, the following qualities of glass must be taken into account during the window design process:
Light transmission.
Glass is a unique medium in that light travels through it as well as reflecting off it. One important aspect of this is that the immediate outside world will affect the way the window looks from inside. For instance, trees near a window could tinge it green in summer and brown in autumn. As the sun moves around during the day the appearance of the window will change noticeably.
Brightness.
An easy way to impress some people is to find amazing glass and use it in the boldest, most dramatic fashion. Novelties wear off quickly and there must be more to glass design than the use of "gee-whiz" technical effects, especially in windows that will become part of people's lives. The contrasts of color and intensity in stained glass are greater than that of most other media and need to be treated with respect and control. In some instances the color scheme can be muted, even monochromatic, so as to support the meditative environment. Be wary of a design that has all the colors of the rainbow in it - a "jellybean" window.
Line and form.
In contemporary glass design, the lead line has taken on a far more important role than in the days when it was treated as scaffolding for the glass pieces - a necessary evil. Lead is the major graphic tool available to a stained glass designer. We not only use it to describe the edges of shapes but also to suggest strength, direction, speed, grace, balance, harmony, decay etc.. By its very nature stained glass is and has always been a truly abstract medium and this is mostly due to the inescapable presence of the lead line. The window must be visualized as glass and lead - using the inherent qualities of both those media. Architectural Integration.
Stained glass is an integral component of a building and is tied to the architecture more than any other art form - it is part of the shell of the building. Ludwig Schaffrath said, "The building is not just there as a frame for your window. You must play your part in the orchestra of the architecture. In one building play the flute, in another the cello." He did not necessarily mean the window is subservient - just that some discipline should be exercised to ensure that it integrates with the building.
There are only a few reasons for installing stained glass. Often it is to overcome the "ordinariness" of an area and put in some art - some emphasis - some design. In other cases it may be:
- for privacy (as in bathrooms)
- to make a statement about your style or attitude (corporate or personal)
- to impact upon the space that the window presides over
- to provoke thought
- to hang art in the wall rather than on the wall
- to hide an ugly view
An experienced glass artist will know how to interpret your needs and develop the kind of design that will work with the space. A window is never just a window. It is part of an environment and can push or pull on that environment as needed.
How to work with your glass artist.
If you are still at the planning stages: go over the detail of the plan, explaining the flow of traffic, the purpose of different rooms and spaces, typical building users and visitors, style of architecture, decor, and probable color schemes, etc.. Explain as much as you can about the environment that the window will belong to. If possible, visit the site together so that you can see how the windows lies to the sun. Look at the view that will be seen through the window - will other buildings eventually be built there? The artist needs to discuss whether you want this background obscured partially or completely, and should already have a variety of suggestions for you to consider. Also, if it is a large window, ask them for advice on mullion size and placement, as large panels of leaded glass can become flexible and are also difficult to install.
If you are considering installing a window into an existing building, then meet there with the glass designer and discuss various treatments for the window(s). Mention any preferences you have regarding color or transparency and listen carefully to the designer's suggestions and comments. They should be making notes from this conversation and already formulating some ideas. Whether you are working on an existing building or looking at a proposed one, the following qualities of glass must be taken into account during the window design process:
Light transmission.
Glass is a unique medium in that light travels through it as well as reflecting off it. One important aspect of this is that the immediate outside world will affect the way the window looks from inside. For instance, trees near a window could tinge it green in summer and brown in autumn. As the sun moves around during the day the appearance of the window will change noticeably.
Brightness.
An easy way to impress some people is to find amazing glass and use it in the boldest, most dramatic fashion. Novelties wear off quickly and there must be more to glass design than the use of "gee-whiz" technical effects, especially in windows that will become part of people's lives. The contrasts of color and intensity in stained glass are greater than that of most other media and need to be treated with respect and control. In some instances the color scheme can be muted, even monochromatic, so as to support the meditative environment. Be wary of a design that has all the colors of the rainbow in it - a "jellybean" window.
Line and form.
In contemporary glass design, the lead line has taken on a far more important role than in the days when it was treated as scaffolding for the glass pieces - a necessary evil. Lead is the major graphic tool available to a stained glass designer. We not only use it to describe the edges of shapes but also to suggest strength, direction, speed, grace, balance, harmony, decay etc.. By its very nature stained glass is and has always been a truly abstract medium and this is mostly due to the inescapable presence of the lead line. The window must be visualized as glass and lead - using the inherent qualities of both those media. Architectural Integration.
Stained glass is an integral component of a building and is tied to the architecture more than any other art form - it is part of the shell of the building. Ludwig Schaffrath said, "The building is not just there as a frame for your window. You must play your part in the orchestra of the architecture. In one building play the flute, in another the cello." He did not necessarily mean the window is subservient - just that some discipline should be exercised to ensure that it integrates with the building.
