Fixing a Hole

Wow! Can't believe a whole month has gone by, but I've been so busy working full time, its just whizzed by! I finished up my time with the York Glaziers Trust in spectacular fashion; I was given the opportunity to make and install a tiny window in York Minster! They don't get new windows very often, so you can imagine what an honour it is for me. Mind you its a tiny window, high up in the south east spire, which has had some major repairs recently,  but it will be visible from below once the scaffolding comes down. Here's a few photos of the project.

 18th century bullseye glass and lead came samples.

Finished window on the work bench.

 Installed in York Minster!!!!

Me and my window.

I also spent several days learning the art of glass painting.

This paint is fired in a kiln at 630 degrees celcius.

These are my finished pieces, which are copies of actual pieces from York Minster's Great East Window.

Its designed to look old.

An Angel with one of the Four Winds

A Winged Lion

1950's unpainted glass with a new painted backing plate.

My time at the York Glaziers Trust was a dream come true. I loved every minute of my time there, especially our forays up into the Minster, which Nick made sure I got my fill of before I finished. Here are a few more photos from the top of the scaffolding.

New carving

 The view out from the scaffolding, while installing my window.

The view out from installing my window; notice the Minster roof below us?

Looking up at new carvings; The Afflictions: Bad Back

Tooth Ache

Your guess is as good as mine!

Another view out.

 

Looking out from inside

"Clare's Turret"

Stay tuned for a new post about my new adventure at the National Railway Museum,

which has started with flying colors.

A Day in the Life

I've now been at the York Glaziers Trust for 5 weeks. The time is flying by and I have been completely immersed in the Great East Window Conservation. I've now taken the head panel that I am working on through glass cleaning, creating a new cut line for the placement of the glass after conservation, and edge bonding and infilling broken pieces.  Here's what it looks like after cleaning.

This is the new "cut line" with the areas blacked-in where there are spaces that will need to be filled with the lead. This takes into account the space created when the glass is repaired, as well as the original intent of the windows creator, which is considered in light of the written evidence and original paint and grozing marks.

These are pieces of medieval glass which will be bonded with resin. The missing pieces will be in-filled as well. The pink at the top is wax molded to create a re-newed edge for the lead to wrap around.

Tools of the trade. These are some of the tools we use. I do a lot of work with a scalpel. This silicon is sometimes used in place of resin, where a softer approach is needed for fragile glass.

These pieces have been edge bonded with silicon and are set upright to dry. Tape is used to hold them in place. The glass is meticulously cleaned beforehand to ensure a good bond and appearance.

I tried my hand at glass painting. This is a copy of a little bird panel found in the Zouche Chapel of York Minster. This process really makes you appreciate the skill of the medieval painters. Its a lot harder than you'd imagine to paint those fine thin lines.

I just like this photo of the glass :)

Everything that is done to the glass is meticulously recorded in a series of

diagrams and a written report.

These cracks have been repaired with resin and areas missing glass in-filled.

A protective glazing design for the panel that will go in front of the medieval window,

to keep the weather off the window and protect the newly conserved glass.

The glass that I have cut to fit the pattern. Not all of the pieces of the original

panel will be cut for the protective glazing. But enough of the pattern is

copied for the view of the window from the outside to be harmonious with the original glass.

Its not all hard work. Sofia and I went to Blackpool,

 for Sofia's football (soccer) tournament.

Next up is a small window that I will be creating for a tiny window in one of the Minster's spires. It's not often you get the chance to put a new window in the Minster, so I am quite lucky to have this chance. Stay tuned for more details! 

The Chapter House, York Minster

Ut rosa flos florum, sic est domus ista domorum

"Like the rose is the flower of flowers, so this house is that of houses"

Sensory Stories: Art Outside the Frame

This past Saturday, I spent the day in the forecourt of the York City Art Gallery, participating in a project called Sensory Stories: Art Outside the Frame. Saturday's event was the culmination of 5 months of planning, and was wholly produced by a group of volunteers, mostly graduate and postgraduate students from the University of York. I started volunteering with the group in December.

Our purpose was to engage the community in activities that would allow them to experience art in a different way, with senses other than sight alone. All of our activities were based on works of art in the York City Art Gallery, which houses a very impressive and varied collection.

    

These are some of the activities we created...

    

Matt tells the story of a duel which took place on the stretch of the River Ouse featured in the picture behind him. The actual work of art is inside the gallery. Part of our project was to encourage passing visitors to go into the gallery to see the original art for themselves.

Simon is discussing the historic evidence that can be gleaned from works of art. He is doing his doctoral thesis on city walls, and is talking about the sketches behind him, which show that once upon a time the York city walls had houses on top of them and attached behind them. The second piece shows the original Lendal Bridge over the River Ouse, which at that time housed the city council offices.

Holly Clarkson, who choreographed a dance, is holding a copy of the painting, which features soldiers at Victoria Station, waiting to board the trains that would take them back to the front during World War Two. The dancers behind performed a piece based on the emotions of the various soldiers and the theme of time stopping and starting.

This group, The Phenomenotes,  based their performance on the same art work, and sang a variety of songs from the War era. The video below is one of their performances.

You can't help swaying along to this one...

 and if you like that, here's another...

 

I really enjoyed these singers; made me think 

of my Granny and Granddad.

I never realized what a great view of the Minster you had from the Art Gallery! Too bad it was cloudy again!

The gallery has a variety of art works, including costumes. This activity featured wood block printing which is found on clothing that was brought back from India during the Colonial period. Participants were encouraged to color one of the sections on this sash, for later display. They were also able to print their own piece of fabric to color in and take home with them.

This was one that I did. I found the coloring to be very relaxing. This particular shape reminded me of the 

mandalas that Buddhist monks make.

This is The Anonymous Rose by Jason Periton. My group's activity was based on this work of art, which features painting on glass. We did not use glass, but copied some of the other techniques used here. We started with a large piece of fabric, which we blocked into sections using masking tape, and added the basic outline of the York Rose. We provided a variety of items to be used as stencils, including doilies, old jewelry, pieces of chain, leaves, kitchen utensils, and keys. These were used to create positive and negative imprints, using spray paints and ink sprays. People passing by were invited to add to our art work. Our youngest artist was 4 and our oldest artist was about 65.

A lot of people turned us down too. They said they weren't artists, not realizing that to be an artist, all you have to do is make art. There is no special license awarded, which makes one an artist. Look below to see our end product, a master piece created by the York Community with a little help from Alex, Susan, and me.

Art Outside the Frame: The York Rose

From the Beginning...

Early on...

Hour 2...

A Family Affair...the daughter painted while Mom, Dad, and sister gave directions.

Imagine, in a strong Yorkshire accent, Dad shouts  "Put some pink in t' middle!" 

Hehehe, one of the best parts of the day!

Before we removed the tape...

The End.