Stained Glass Class

In an early blog I wrote that I was working on ‘balance’ this year.  I tried and failed quite spectacularly to achieve this last year but I am determined to have good mix of study, creative arts projects, practical stuff and socialising. 

On the creative aspect, last year I completed my City and Guilds Level 1 in Stained Glass at evening class. I made new glass panels for my front door. It is so amazing to see a glass panel that you have been working on for months flat on a bench suddenly transformed when it is up and backlit. It seems to come alive and changes throughout the day as the light hits in different ways.

 

The restoration window

 




My front door panels

 




Beautiful detail of the window - you can see the damaged panel that I have replaced with a newly painted one

 

This year I’m restoring a beautiful old window that was given to me by a workman who had had it lying around in his shed for years and thought I would be able to ‘do something with it’.  It was so filthy, I did not realise how beautiful it was until I put it over the light box so the colours could be seen properly. Two of the really intricately painted panels are so badly damaged that I need to paint new ones.  I am fairly terrified that I will not have the ability to do them justice but the teacher is so good I have to trust her to guide me properly.  I attend the class with my sis-out-law (we are the ex’s of brothers) and always go for a couple of beers after wards in a fairly crazy pub nearby.  By the time we get there at 10pm the only customers are the regulars playing pool, watching the sport and chatting up the ever patient barmaids.  As the only two women (and older ones at that!) customers we attract a fair bit of curiosity and some strange advances from all the oddballs. Luckily the pint sized manageress looks after us (I must be twice her size!) and moves them all on so we can settle down to have a good chat.



So my Thursday now starts with the morning in my placement as a counselling student with three or four clients, and ends with my stained glass class and a quick pint.  That feels great! 

Now I need to end here as I am off to volunteer for the Big Draw and event being held all along the Thames today and tomorrow to encourage everyone to be find their creative within themselves and have a go at drawing, painting sculpting etc.  I wonder what I will be doing but whatever it is it should be such fun!