Domestic Cupola

I was asked to replace a discoloured and plain cupola in a 1930’s bungalow.

It is lit from above both by a roof light and by internal lighting in the loft space.  This meant that a design could be employed that would be visible both by day and night.

The brief was to bring something of the Arts Nouveau into the design.  The design could have been the repetition of a design element in all eight parts, but I wanted to work with the whole as one piece.  After some discussion on the themes it was settled on a flower and leaves theme.

My first design was developed using a template of one of the triangles forming the cupola.

However, in my enthusiasm for the sinuous curves for the stems and buds, I forgot the need to include the roses that were discussed and agreed upon.

[Anderson 2^nd design web]

This one does include the roses.  And I do know that the roses in nature would be open after the other buds, but some artistic license was accepted. And the building of the panels began.

Installation required the removal of the old glass.  As the house had just been completely redecorated, lots of old carpet and dust sheets over them was required to protect against any glass falling and possibly puncturing the new wood flooring.

Already the simple removal of the nicotine stained amber glass transformed the light within the hallway.

The installation began by installing each numbered piece in order, as any misplaced panel would interrupt the flow of the design.  However, it would have been better if templates for each of the eight openings were taken.  The openings were not completely regular. 

When complete, it provided a new interest to the hallway as well as allowing much more light into the space. The straight lines running through the composition are the location of the support bars for the glass.

Best of all, the client was overjoyed at the result, bringing relatives around to see what had been achieved.

Standing Stone

My glass "Standing Stone" is now installed at Ravenswood, in Kilmelford on Loch Melfort. 

View toward land

View over Loch Melfort

This finally is a good site for the piece to continue its life. With its references to pictish, celtic and christian symbols and cultures it is a statement about the changing cultures in the continuity of the landscape 

Chandelier

In the autumn I was asked to provide a chandelier for a large hallway. The principle was to have repeating features that would break up the light from the central hanging.

I made a drawing and a few samples of the pieces to be incorporated. This was approved.

Before Christmas I delivered the finished piece. It consists of two polished stainless steel rings suspended by chains from a central lighting point and several hundred pieces of cast glass of different sizes.

Recently I was able to see the piece installed. It is not immediately obvious upon entry to the house, as there is a landing immediately above the entry. But it is revealed as you move into the house and happen to look upwards.

And as you move up the stairway, the chandelier becomes more obvious both in size and appearance.

It stands out - although only of clear glass - whether against the daylight or as here within the stairwell.

The individually cast pieces of glass break up the light from the light source as can be seen from the above photo.

Each piece is cast with linking wires to attach all the pieces together. Each column of glass ends with a piece having only one link. The inner ring of glass pieces are of a smaller diameter (ca. 35mm dia.) than the outer ones (ca. 50mm dia.) to help fill the spaces that would otherwise be left if all pieces were of the same size.

It is not a surprise - with glass of 6mm thickness and diameters up to 50mm - that this is a heavy piece. Bolts fasten the central hanging point to the beams in the ceiling as is advisable for any large chandelier.

Shop Windows

Over the last few months, I have been helping Alan Robinson of Ramoyle Glass with the removal, restoration and re-installation of a set of windows in what is now a dress shop in Callendar.

These premises were originally built a the turn of the 19th into the 20th century as a printers. It is now a shop called Desirables that sells timeless styles for women.

General view entrance

General view, left side of shop

These pictures show the interior view outwards. The largest window - in the corner - is approximately 1500mm wide. The all were in poor shape with lots of broken glass, especially the corner roundels. These had to be especially obtained for a good match to the existing few that remained whole.

Side window

Front right window

These show a couple of the windows in more detail. The flower forms use richly coloured handmade glass. The leaves are of rolled glass. The clear is a variety of textures of rolled glass also. Each window has a border of roundels in the corner and crackle glass along the sides.

This work was supported by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park

North Gardner Street

I'm currently involved with a renovation project that began for me at least eight years ago. I was called out to do an estimate for the repair of six windows in a close in the West End of Glasgow. I duly prepared the estimates and - not unusually - heard nothing. So I assumed that one of the other people called out had got the work.

First Landing

So, it was with some surprise that in April, I was called to be one of three people called to give an estimate of the work and its cost. As some of you know, getting any work done on the common structure and areas of tenement buildings can be difficult in Scotland. Until recently, there had to be unanimous agreement on the work to be done and its cost. Now a large majority (qualified by the floor area occupied) is required, so no one person can hold up the required repairs. I waited for a month after the closing date for the estimates before contacting the builder who asked me for the estimate. I was not too surprised to learn that the owners of the flats in the building were now considering how to get the required money together. I since have learned that the stone and roofing work spread over four tenements. So I sat back to wait.

Second Landing

By July, I accepted that someone else had got the job. It would have been nice to do the work after all this time, but some things are not meant to be. Then at the end of November I was rung up and asked when I could begin work on the windows and sashes. This was a surprise to me. I thought it might be some time before I could begin, not until mid January at least. "But we have the scaffolding up and the painters are ready to work." Why the building firm could not have organised things so that all the subcontractors were notified at the point the firm won the contract, or at the beginning of the work on site, I do not understand.

Third Landing

I got my work re-arranged to go to the site the week before Christmas. When I got there, the work on the sashes had been completed, although no work had begun on the windows. I assumed that my delay had given the job to another person. But I rang the company anyway to find out what the position was. I was surprised to learn that they still wanted me to do the job, minus the wood work, as they had taken that element from my estimate and given it to another joiner other than mine.

So now I am in the process of taking out one landing's worth of windows, re-leading and repairing them, bringing them back for installation and then removing the next landing's worth of windows. This is likely to keep me occupied throughout March, as I have organised a week away in Spain while the children are off school and away with their father.

I will post more pictures of progress later.

St Silas's Church Hall, Installed

Back in August I reported on the early stages of the restoration of the wheel window and three small "supporting" lights.

Now that the building is nearing its completion, it was time to install the big window into its new home. The stone has been re-erected, with the location markings still visible at close quarters. Installing into stone channels is always more concerning, as the panels have to be big enough to stay in the stone, but not so big as to be impossible to put in. I got someone to help with the installation, both to give assistance and to keep me calm.

The first day, we could only install the bottom half of the wheel window, as the scissors lift was in constant use by the painters and no other scaffolding could be put up there while the painters were at work. So after four hours we left, with the promise that the lift would be in place for us in the morning.

Morning came, but the lift was not there. There was no one qualified to drive it either. We did a few odd jobs for an hour or so, and then the lift became available. The top half of the window fitted well with little difficulty. We finished it up and went for lunch.

The difficult part came with the little windows. It seems like there is less room for manoeuvre. The stone was badly eroded in some places also. So, out we went to buy a 110 volt angle grinder as the site's one had gone missing. Still it will be a good tool in the future. It was an essential one for this installation, as we had to cut one new channel and deepen all the others. Four hours after we started on these three little windows, we began to seal them with the sand mastic. I finished on the inside first and was able to stand back and admire.

Fortunately, the other workmen on the site also admired the work. But most importantly the architect approved the work. Very important for me, as it appears he initially preferred another person for the job.

This is the completed installation of the main window and its three supporting windows.

The outside of the window from below

The window from the inside staircase

Encapsulating Leaded Glass Panels, 2

It has been a while - various excuses include moving house, preparing quotes, major Homes and Interiors, Scotland retail show, general inactivity, etc.

The leaded glass that was to be encapsulated has now been done.

This shows the inner view of the completed window sash - one of three. The frame was routed out to accommodate the extra width that the double glazing took up - in this case 12mm, so another 6mm had to be taken away from the frame. It also is now 18mm thick rather than the 8 or 9mm when it was simply leaded glass. This depth had to be taken from the frame too. The original check was about 12mm deep. An extra 10mm had to be taken away to accommodate the unit. This left a shallow area for a putty fillet of only 6mm.

When it is all painted, it will look very good.

The process can be seen here.

Encapsulating Leaded Glass Panels

Increasingly, people are being required to consider losing their stained glass, because of the thermal insulation requirements for new windows. A number of double glazing firms do not want to encapsulate the panels into the units.

There are some potential problems with incorporating newly made leaded glass panels into sealed units. But all the problems can be overcome by using different materials or different sizes of products.

The oxidation products from the putty fogs up the inside of the glass, so butyl rather than linseed oil mastic is required. As much as possible, repairs are simply fitted into the came and the leaves dressed down to the glass - the waterproof requirement no longer applies after all. In this way no new material is introduced into the sealed unit.

Most leaded glass windows need to be reduced in size to fit into sealed units. The amount of reduction is determined by the width of the spacers. The spacers that double glazing firms use are large - usually 25mm wide. However there are thinner spacers - 13mm wide - that can be used to reduce the amount of the window that needs to be removed to get it into the unit.

Most of the time, there is some kind of border at the edges of the window, or a continuation of design between adjoining windows that no damage is done to the image by small reductions. But just now I have a set of three windows that will not easily be reduced in size without damaging the design.

Fortunately, the clients agreed with me that the windows should be kept and that the sealed unit size should be altered to accommodate the glass. This does require the joiner to make new sashes and casements for this extension to the house. It also requires some adjustment to the size of the window opening to allow for the marginally wider window frames required. To reduce the amount of change, the leaves of the outer cames have been shaved to the hearts, giving about 5mm each side. The new sash frames are being made narrower to reduce the expansion required of the casements, and the mullions are being made a little narrower too.

The results are shown here.

Brian Waugh

Recently I helped Brian Waugh out with the installation of another of his windows. He is the glass artist that I most admire in Scotland for the detail of his work. This pair of windows is in a domestic situation.

The following pictures show the figures in some more detail. These were taken without the help of a tripod and so are not of the highest quality. But you will be able to see them in better quality on his website.

Skylight Installed

As promised this is the photo of the skylight now installed at the top of the stairs. I have established a glazing bar with ties to support the piece across the centre. I installed it on the long axis rather than the short one. This was to provide maximum support along the "folding" lines and because it is visually much less intrusive.

Without knowing where the support bar is, it is very difficult to see it. As this is not a large skylight, it can have the bar above. Were it to have been a large one, the support would have to be below. For this reason, I usually install toughened glass of appropriate thickness to support the leaded panel.

Skylight

This is an image of a skylight made from parts of a doorway that was surplus to requirements after a conversion of a large house into two. The bottom half of two floors was separated from the top half of two more floors, and the original doorway was done away with. The side lights and the fan light were removed and the idea was to use the damaged remains to put into the ceiling of the top part of the building to allow light into the stair well.

This will be installed in the next few weeks together with other repairs required after the builders finished.

Stair Window Installation

Among the other things I do is help to install others' windows. I just finished helping Angel Steel install her window. This is it below.

This window is approximately 3 metres high. The image is of the window just after the platforms have been taken away from the window. The scaffolding is still in place and you can see both upright and horizontal poles running across the window. This installation took just one and a half days with three people, although we finished the major parts of the installation in the dark of day one. The second day was to tidy up and make sure all the work had been done properly.

It is so satisfying to stand back (once you are on the floor) and admire the finished work. It was of course, the first time Angela had seen the work in one piece.

Absence and Return

I haven't been very consistent in posting about my activities. Apologies.

I have had several weeks of doing no glass at all! The first of these weeks I spent on a life drawing course with 7 other people. Five days for only £100. This included meals and all the paper you could use. Oh yes. And a model and an instructor. Although I was only able to do the first 4 days, it was a great experience. I normally think I can do only two hours at a time before my concentration falls. Well with an instructor, I find I can concentrate longer. It was a great group of people from all kinds of backgrounds and experience.

The last day I had to go to chair the craftscotland Board meeting. We have appointed a new chief executive, and I didn't think I could leave her to cope on her own, nor my vice-chairman. One good outcome of the post meeting discussion was that I think we have convinced the vice-chairman to take on the post of chairman soon.

Then off to London for a week to see my daughter and go to some exhibitions. I got to see the Royal Academy show that included a number of my favourite artists - Braque, Calder, Miro, and Giocometti. It was a great show with lots of big stuff. There also were a number of charming small studies in pencil, charcoal and some pastels that showed the working up of ideas to the final pieces.

I also got in the last week of the BSMGP 40cm2 (Forty centimeters squared) show at the Cochrane Theatre. This required each of the selected artists to use a square format of 40cm. This provided a variegated wall of glass against the windows of the Cochrane Theatre bar area. I was there on a bright day which allowed lots of light through all the windows. A feature of the street scape outside the Theatre is a number of relatively young trees, giving a dappled light for the panels. Lots of variety, but not many surprises. But there was enough to occupy me for a couple of hours.

I went to the Sir John Soan Museum in Lincoln's Inn Fields. This is a great museum for those interested in architectural details. The attraction was the invitation to find the pieces of glass, ceramics and a few other materials that were created by students in response to the space. Well some of them were so well hidden that even with a crib sheet they were not easy to find. My favourite though was a "poured" piece of glass falling from a tap in the dressing room.

Good dinners, good conversations, and nice wines.

Then I came back to reality - work.

As you know, I have had difficulty with my large kiln over the past few months. I am now getting more confident about the results that I can get from it. The three pieces below are a screen between a bedroom and the stair up to the loft. It is more about decoration that privacy it seems to me.

The three pieces as shown are for a space 990mm by 860mm

The actual colour is somewhere between these two photographs. The upper one is as it was taken by the camera (me). the lower one is as colour corrected by Adobe. The colours are warmer than the bottom one, but not so yellow as the top. I suspect that I should take an evening class in photography.

Completed Repairs

I have now competed, at the third visit, a series of repairs for a flat in the area where I live. This is a development of about 10 streets done from 1898 to 1912. This particular flat was completed about 1904. All the flats in the older parts of Hyndland have variations of stylised art noveau stained glass. The Wikipedia entry gives a variety of sources. More stained glass survives in some flats than in others.

The image here is of the bathroom entry. The fanlight is approximately 1220mm wide and just over 650mm high. It is stabilised by two vertical tie bars only, but even after a century is still stable. It required the removal of varnish and paint in addition to years of grime.

The door and side light below it was in less good condition. The door panel had to be taken out to the studio to have broken leads replaced and the whole re-cemented. When replacing, a series of blocks had to be added to keep the panel from shaking loose again. The panel is inserted into a slot in one side of the door and then moved back into a shallower slot on the other side. I had to add blocks to the lock side of the door to keep the panel stable. Then add the putty and tie bars to keep the whole stable. In the picture you can see the two bars. There is not a bar crossing the amber flower shape, which makes it a little weaker, but definitely more pleasant to look at.

The other repair was to the door. This is a design that is a combination of two. The original is in the three upper lights of the door. The main panel is taken from the design of other flats in the area. The central emblem may be original, as significantly older glass is used there than in the surrounding area. In any case, they were not originally together. But I repaired the main panel and re-inserted it with a laminated sheet in front for security.

I enjoy these "low grade" jobs because it keeps the traditional glass in the buildings for which they were originally designed. They require a high level of patience and considerable skill to keep things as near to the originals as possible, and to keep the client pleased with what they have. Most do not want cracks anywhere, although I often try to talk them into glueing pieces where the character of the broken glass cannot be matched with modern pieces.

First Gardens

This is the address of a 1920's bungalow in Dumbreck, Glasgow that I have been working on for some time. It is a little enclave of houses that look almost identical until you look at the detail in the four streets of about ten house each. Each street is named from First Gardens to Fourth Gardens. They a form a small conservation area and so attract matching funding for maintaining or returning the buildings to the original character.

[Left front]

[right front]

The house I am working on had some of the glass in the upper sashes remaining, but many had been replaced with "stick on" lead lines. That leaded glass which remained needed complete re-leading as the ties to the re-bars had failed, there were breaks at many of the lead joints, and there were repairs to be conducted.

[leaded glass installed in left front]

[leaded glass installed in right front]

The front of the house has now been finished and has a completely different appearance.

[view from the street]

I am happy with the appearance of the front. The client is too. Now to work on the sides and back and on the front door.

Installation problems

At last I have finished an installation of five fanlight windows in a posh Glasgow flat/apartment. The client wanted windows that reflected the time the building was constructed. This was during the full flowering of the Arts Nouveau.

There is a nice design in the fanlight above the door that is original to the flat, so I suggested this should be taken and adapted for all the fanlights around the central hall. The photo shows the existing design that I took to make "reproduction" windows.

All went well until it came to installing the windows. The facings on the openings ran from floor to the top of the fanlight. They were impractical to remove. So the spacing timbers had to be pried out of their location between the glass and the facings. Fortunately the glass could be sacrificed. It was truly horrible. I won't even consider putting a photograph up (not that I took one anyway). This then revealed that the size of the space was larger than allowed for by as much as 20mm in some cases.

The windows were manoeuvred into place by bending leads and panels. Then the windows needed extra strips of lead to keep them in place. Also because the spacing timbers had to be destroyed during the removal, I contracted a joiner to replace them. However he did not realise the importance of matching the spacing timbers to the lines of the facings.

The client called me back, because the panels must have slipped or something. In fact the panels were OK except for one which had genuinely slipped. In looking at the placings in the fanlights, I decided the best would be to remove the existing leaded windows, and make templates of the openings to enable me to remake the outside parts of each window. I got the joiner back to help take out the spacing timber.

Now I know how to do it much faster than before - destroy the timber with a chisel, rather than trying to pry it out. It always helps when you know your materials!

I took the templates on stiff card, and rebuilt the outer parts of the panels, using 16mm(5/16") lead came. This enabled me to bend the leaves of the top and bottom cames so the panels could slip into the opening through the facings. Then the effort was to straighten the flanges while in the opening. This is a two person job. One to hold the panel, the other to work the flanges. They all fitted.! One fitted so snugly that the bottom flanges had to be cut off. Now another firm of joiners is coming to fit a shaped spacer that will set off the windows very well.

Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum Vitae of Stephen Richard

Stephen has concentrated on domestic, public and commercial decorative glass. His public installations and restorations include:

Theatre Lights, 1995 and Library and University Tower, 1997 meeting room screens, Glasgow University Library
Italian Design, 1998. Fused and back lit panels for "Made in "Italy", Edinburgh
Fused and shaped panels for Scottish Courage, Edinburgh, 1998
Commemorative panel, Daldorch House School, 1999
Dream Time, 1999, Fused and bonded glass, 1500 by 850mm, Rococo Restaurant, Glasgow
Light Wall, 2000. Fused and back lighted tiles, 2.25 square metres
Flight, 2000. Nine square metre skylight for Millers Bistro, North Berwick in fused glass.
Restoration of 9 painted and stained 19th century panels for the Talbot Association, 2001
Players, 2001. A 12 square metre ceiling for the Scottish Football Association reception offices in fused glass and metal.
Garden Display, 2001, for Glasgow City Council Lands Department. 2.5m diameter glass and steel panel.
Panels for Glasgow University Bar, 2002, 1.22 by .45 m.
Complete fenestration for St Andrew’s East Church, Glasgow, 2002 [Building and windows designed by Salmond, a contemporary of Mackintosh’s]
Windows for sets at BBC Scotland for "River City". Leaded, etched, and textured glass, 2002
Reminder, 2002. 450x380x40mm. Commemorative panel using a Mackintosh aphorism. Installed in Oxford.

Castleton House. Restoration of medallions and other glass, and setting them in new windows, 2002
Restoration of the painted and stained East window of the Episcopal Church, Ayr, 2003
Waving, 2003. 11.5 metres of back lighted fused glass representing the movement of sea and sky. Installed at Highgrove House Hotel, Troon.
Wall Panels, 2003. Decorative, fused panel for "Little Italy", Glasgow. 1.5 by .8 metres.
Internal decorative glass panels, 2003, for "Bloody Mary", Glasgow.
Spread Eagle Glass sculpture 700x300x40mm and lamp shades for Lazzio restaurant, Edinburgh, 2004
Re-glazing of Dowanvale Free Church, Partick, Glasgow, 2004
The Sky is Falling (610x610mm) Ceiling panel for bathroom, Motherwell, 2005
Albinoni’s Adigio in G Minor Fused panels, Partick, 2005
Installation of historic items in glass brick walls, Whitehill Community Centre, Hamilton, 2005
Figures Large domestic leaded glass panel, Jordanhill, 2005
Fireworks 1metre square fused panel for wall hanging, Dumfries, 2006
Installation at Corries Solicitors, Washington Street ,Glasgow, 2006
Glazing for Dowanvale Church, 2007
Restoration of Oscar Patterson window, Otago Street, 2007
Storms, a bedroom screen for a private house, Ayrshire, 2008
"Sand, sea, air", Fused glass skylight installation, 1830 x 1300mm, 2009
Complete restoration of windows in 1920's conservation area, First Gardens, Dumbreck, Glasgow, 2009
Coupola repair and protective glazing, Dumbreck, Glasgow, 2009
Restoration of stair window in 1850's listed building, 2009
Collaboration with Amanda Johnson on cast glass and steel public installation at Merry Street, Motherwell, 2009
Collaboration with Amy Stephenson on the incorporation of glass with garments, displayed on the catwalk at the London Fashion Show, 2010
Restoration of Wheel Windows at St. Serf's Church, Glasgow, 2010

In the last few years he has increasingly turned his attention to heat formed and sculptural forms.

Community activities have included:
Hyndland Stained Glass Survey Project.1997-9
Jordanhill Secondary School, artist in residence, 1998 and 2002
St Charles Primary School, residency, 1999
Larkhall Millennium Project, 1999-2000
Queen’s Cross Housing Association, 2000
Hillhead Community Centre, Kirkintilloch, 2001
Workshops for local primary schools, 2002 & 2003
Community Artist with National Museums of Scotland and South Lanarkshire Council for Whitehill, Hamilton, 2004
Joint artist in residence at Larkhall Academy, 2003-2005. Scottish Arts Council funded project.
Mosaic with pupils of S4 at Golfhill Primary School. 2010
Discussion and shortlisted with Caringorms National Park on provision of large scale sculptural boundary signs and objects reacting to the views at various points throughout the Park.

He has exhibited:
Selected for "Migrate" A travelling exhibition organised by the Scottish Glass Society, 2009-2010, various locations in Scotland and England.
WASPS Open Studios, October 2009
National Museums of Scotland and others – "Cutting Edge", 2007, a travelling exhibition.
Lillie Gallery, Milngavie, 2007
Scottish Art Market, May 2006
Park Gallery, Falkirk, 2004-5
Strathearn Gallery, Crief, joint show, 2002, 2005
Dundas Street Gallery, Edinburgh, 2004
Celtic Connections at Wasps, 2004
Compass Gallery, Glasgow, joint show, 1999, 2001, 2003
Collins Gallery, Glasgow, joint shows, 2001, 2002, 2003
Q2 Gallery, Dundee, joint show, 2003
Peter Potter Gallery, Haddington, jopint show, 2007
Currently represented in Arran Gallery, Coach House Gallery, Culross Gallery. Torre Art Gallery

Publications:

The Cutting Edge, Scotland's Contemporary Crafts edited by C Baird and R Watban. National Museums of Scotland, 2007

"Made in Scotland"pp.10-12, Art Mag, Feb/March 2011

Education:
BA, University of Kansas, 1965
Dip Lib, University of Strathclyde, 1966
M Lib, University of Wales, Aberystwyth, 1990
HNC, Glasgow College of Building and Printing. 1997
Paul San Casciani, at West Dean, 1988 and at Oxford, 1992
Bohle, at Glasgow, 2001, 2004
Northlands Master Class with Klaus Moje, 2005

Additional activities:
Craftscotland (an SAC funded information, marketing, and web resource), Board of Directors, 2004- ; Chair 2006-
International Guild of Glass Artists, Vice Chairman
Association for Applied Arts Scotland, Advisory Committee, 2002-4
Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Crafts Website Steering Group 2002-4
Consultant, Kibble Palace interpretative scheme, Glasgow Botanic Gardens, 2003-5
Joint Curator, Scottish Glass Society Exhibition 1999
Selection Panel for Exhibition at Strathearn Gallery, 2002
Administrator for Scottish Glass Society exhibitions, 2006 and 2007
Member, Children's Panel, Glasgow, 2003-
Member Scottish Glass Society committee in various capacities, 1999-2006

Contact details:
Stephen Richard, Studio 8, WASPS Studios, 77 Hanson Street, Glasgow G31 2HF.
Tel. 0771 883 1117 or 0141 556 5700
Fax: 0141 554 7330
E-mail: stephen.richard43@gmail.com