A touch of glass workshop

                                                                                                                                                                        

   

                                                                                                                                                                           

This workshop took place on the 9th & 10th February 2017

KAE Films filmed us on the first day, I did a few shots on the second day.  

                                                                                          

Both days were at the Education venue of the Shrewsbury Museum.

We first viewed the film KAE and Nathalie had written together to offer the children a guided 'walk through' the Heavenly Lights exhibition selecting 
the artwork relevant to the artistic activities to follow.

A walk which took them for a journey in the stories Margaret Agnes Rope has painted.

                                                                                                                                                                                     

Nathalie did then an introduction to the art of stained glass, an art form they may have seen in the Shrewsbury Roman Catholic Cathedral, as pupils of the Roman Catholic School.
It was a time to share the study Nathalie did
to identify the birds Marga had clearly cherished in her cartoons.
Two cartoons on show in the Heavenly Lights were the perfect display
of Margaret Agnes Rope love of birds.

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Cartoon 1

St Winefride (Newport,Wales)

One of five high windows by Margaret Agnes Rope in Saint Peter and St Paul in Newport. The birds truly have a meaning in the landscape. A dipper by the well, a lesser redpoll in the woody leafy background, a kingfisher appearing by her arm in its flight which is an other bird of waters or a solitary bird, all placed in the sites a ornithologist will find them.

The school the participants go to is named after St Winefride

St Winefride is also meaningful to Nathalie who first went to St Winefride's Well in 1995 or 1996.

She had been for a major head surgery in France in 1994, 

before she moved to Swansea University to study stained glass art. 

She since then went back to the site nearly each year. 

She wanted to give her prayers to St Winefride to keep her head in good shape for many years. 

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Cartoon 2

The Benedicte (Llandovery, Wales) 

Given in memory of Herbert and Teresa Vaughan, the nephew and niece of the artist, both of whom died in childhood and are depicted in the window.
Please read the full study on the post Feathered Regulars

I asked the children to work to a scale that will be proportional to the full size cartoon I had brought on site and showed to them. All glass pieces I had cut for them were to a size they were invited to keep as there reference once they had selected the piece of glass.

 KAE Films was hardly noticed by children all in the world of birds

  

 a few birds sketches before a first intro to glass painting

 they painted on a selection of coloured glass

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 Two questions

st Cecilia Shrewsbury Cathedral

Was Margaret Agnes Rope a member 

of the RSPB at its very beginnings?

if she was alive today she would be shocked many of the birds she painted are on red list or amber list

the lesser redpoll, the missile thrush,  

dipper, kingfisher, bullfinch, tawny owl

Flickr link sent by Arthur Rope

A few of the birds painted by the children

 after they chose the glass they loved.

Which of their birds will be in the final artwork?

Special WW1 Memorial piece_news

Finally freed myself to travel down to Swansea and visit the site to view the exhibition of the inspiring glass artwork of many other glass artists as well as the exhibition Welsh industry and the first world war in the National Waterfront Museum.

I must say the weather was perfect and views from the  Coffee at the 28th floor of a Swansea waterfront skyscraper was a pleasant surprise too.

Here was my artwork display between glass poppies  made by other artists.

Special WW1 Commemorative piece

This artwork has been exhibited as 2D glass on a window installation set up by Professor Vanessa Cutler and her colleagues. Artists were invited to submit work which was a personal response to WW1. I chose to submit a piece which explored trench art...

 

‘Our friends (...) dropped us a couple of “Easter Eggs” (Shells),which flew all over the place when they burst.’ Love letters between Lucy Townend and soldier, Henry Coulter.



Soldiers in the trenches crafted objects in very challenging surroundings of daily survival and death. They showed great resourcefulness for recycling what little materials they had available and keep beauty at hand in mind. My Memorial piece exhibited, quotes their use of bright metals in patterned lighters, letter openers and knives for example. The piece incorporates materials, which I have recycled myself. The main body of the roundel is made of fused glass with gold leaves in between. A craftsman who no longer needed it, gave it to me.



The linear patterns (suggestive of maps, trenches, greens/branches, clocks’ hands, scars/stiches, flying/falling shells or other weapons) are recycled glass pieces recently used to sandblast labyrinths patterns on flashed glass. It shines like a medal or an “Easter Egg.

It is memories all about: Rewards/Medals, Bravery/Humour, Body attacked, Mind wounded, Silence, Support from and to loved ones, Frontiers, Night or Day, Mirroring/Reflection, Presents from loved ones, Circular earth explosion marks... More images of this piece can be found on my Facebook page!

It is not displayed as in the photographs here within the actual exhibition; Commemorating the First World War in Glass at Swansea National Waterfront Museum - on display until 22nd February 2014. I look forward to viewing photos of it on site and later the exhibition with a visit to Swansea too!