Terminology

[Arthur Vanson]

As I am planning to put up a Web Gallery in the near future, I am rather
nervous about making a chump of myself by getting the terminology wrong.
Put simply, I am working on glass using various paints and materials,
including the transparent ones (Glass Art, Vitrail, Pebeo etc.) in attempt
to make the work look as close to the real thing as I can.
I have seen the term 'Cold Glass Painting' recently and wonder - as there is
no kiln work involved - if this would be the correct description?

Arthur Vanson

[Mike Firth]

I had expected someone else to reply, but nothing has happened. When you say
"to make the
work look as close to the real thing as I can" do you mean make the subject look
real or make the painted glass look like stained glass? "Cold Glass Painting"
is a perfectly good term for the former, the latter is considered a bastard
craft done by people who don't much care to work in the real thing and don't
care that the result has little durability. "Reverse Painting on Glass" is a
respected skill, where the foreground has to be painted first and then other
things behind, the result being viewed through the glass.
The simple fact of the matter is that unless the paint consists of enamel that
can be fired on the glass at low kiln temps, the result is not very durable if
exposed to sunlight and colored glass looks most spectacular in sunlight.
Painted glass is normally displayed like paintings, in subdued light, treated
as a mounting medium with two sides due to the transparency of glass rather than
a replacement for stained glass.

--

Mike Firth
Hot Glass Bits newsletter and furnace glass information web site
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/start.htm
Texas glass events late in 2000
http://users.ticnet.com/mikefirth/texas00.htm

[Arthur Vanson]

Thanks for you reply Mike - I was beginning to feel a wee bit lonely.
Hey - Fantastic! All my life, I've longed for notoriety. A bounder, a rogue,
even a cad would have been fine - but, no - I've had to settle for
respectable. And now, in the twilight of my prime, I've stumbled into the
Jackpot. 'Practitioner of a bastard craft that is not respected.' Well - all
right, not truly bad assed, maybe, but a big step up from wishy-washy. Yes,
I really did mean; "to make the work look like stained glass." I'd like to
explain a little but, if you are in a hurry skip the next paragraph and go
straight to the "So what do you reckon" at the end.

At the suggestion of my cousin, who used to be a genuine stained glass
artist (served an apprenticeship under Harry Stammers, Keeper of the Glass
at York Minster etc), we made some suncatchers to mark the Total Eclipse of
August 11th 1999. We used water and solvent-based transparent glass paints.
People seemed to like them so, I started making bigger pieces. Without
having been to classes or anything I didn't realise that durability was an
issue until I was showing at a little exhibition and I was asked about it. I
spoke to the paint manufacturers and was rather shocked at their reply. My
hopes of making beautiful things that would last for eternity were dashed.
Luckily all the big pieces I had done for doors etc, were for friends and
done at cost price, so, no big issues there. However, I really love working
on the big showy pieces and have carried on doing those for the joy of it,
and to show on a Web Gallery (isn't ego a terrible thing?) Meanwhile I've
continued making suncatchers and developing self adhesive cast vinyl
patterns, to try and augment a seriously limited income. I think I have
discovered a few tricks to minimise the effect of UV fading but only time
will tell.

So what do you reckon, glass painting, cold glass painting or downright
chicanery?

Thanks again,

Arthur Vanson

Mike Firth <mike...@ticnet.com> wrote in message
news:474A33A34388AA01.7664BE75...@lp.airnews.net...

[Arthur Vanson]

Web Gallery is up and running if anyone fancies a look.

http://www.glassgraphics.co.uk

All the best,

Arthur Vanson