collaborations

&

Interpretations

Windows created from designs by other artists and designers

Grace particularly enjoys developing designs that embrace the painterly possibilities of stained glass, and she has become something of a specialist in interpreting the designs of other artists into this technically demanding medium.

Interpreting the work of another artist is not just a case of simply making a glass copy of a drawing — creating a successful window is a lengthy process requiring both artistry and craftsmanship. Grace is able to call on her background as an artist to sympathetically interpret the initial design and create a window that captures the spirit of the original drawing.

To make images and brushstrokes appear immediate and spontaneous requires a laborious process of etching and layering of stains and paint. She uses both traditional and modern techniques, pushing the technical possibilities to their limit in the pursuit of spontaneity and truth to the concept of the design.

If you are an artist or designer and would like to see your work realised in stained glass contact Grace here…

"THE DAMSON TREE"

Canterbury Cathedral, North Cloister (2018)

This window was commissioned by The Friends of Canterbury Cathedral and designed by Hughie O’Donoghue RA. His richly painted, full-sized cartoons were translated into glass by Grace at The Cathedral Studios in Canterbury.

The window was a close collaborative venture between the two artists. Hughie produced full sized cartoons for the windows with his characteristic use of lush colour and energetic brushwork, building up layers of paint to create a vibrant ‘living’ design. Grace was careful to capture the movement and depth in Hughie’s original designs, and to create an equivalence in glass for his process of building up the surface of a painting. The illusion of spontaneity ironically takes far longer than making a traditional glass panel and is achieved by using layers of acid etched glass which coalesce to create a depth and richness of colour that is rarely seen in a window.

The window was installed and dedicated in 2018.

Damson tree - designed by Hughie O'donoghue

Damson tree - cartoon by Hughie O'Donoghue

"It was a close collaborative venture between us. I didn’t want it to be a case of handing over a design. It was a process. Grace went with it, developed it, but I feel it looks like my work. The window is a very physical thing. A lot of layers of glass coalesce to make one image. It’s the glass equivalent of a very painterly painting."

-Hughie O'Donoghue RA

"The Gathering"

Canterbury Cathedral, North Cloister (2014)

This window was commissioned by the Garfield Weston Foundation and designed by glass-artist, Emma Lindsay. Her full sized drawings were translated into stained glass by Grace at The Cathedral Studios in Canterbury.

Keeping closely to the rhythm and structure of the original drawing, Grace used traditional etching and painting techniques to bring vibrancy to the colours of the design. The colours were carefully planned and built up. Similarly, while the lead lines appear simple, they were carefully worked out to balance their practical function and enhance the movement and energy of the scheme.

The window was installed and dedicated in 2014.