GLASS FIRMAMENT

£495.00

Materials: Stained Glass

Dimensions: 23cm x 9cm x 45cm

 

“Light is the most noble of natural phenomena, the least material, the closest approximation to pure form.” Otto von Simson, The Gothic Cathedral, 1980

When May’s historic, geomagnetic storms illuminated our night skies, their colourful displays appeared all over the news and social media. The Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights captivated our imaginations connecting us via a curtain of colour to the heavens.

My reaction to this spectacle was the creation of this stained glass panel, GLASS FIRMAMENT” by using mainly vivid, flashed, English Antique Glass. The subsequent hand-painting of Grisaille is a medieval technique. Black paint in the form of tracing and matting, allows light to only pass through the unpainted areas.

My narrative pays homage to William Blake 1757-1827, (“what the hand dare seize the fire,” The Tygre), who emotionally expressed nature, spirituality and mysticism both visually and verbally.

The stone illustrated is MY stone! It was excavated from my garden and stands proudly by my studio. It is a boulder of seeming ancient origins, incised with esoteric markings. Could it be connected to a cosmic alignment or event? I like to think so. It will certainly have borne witness to centuries of celestial activity and carries its own meaning, secret and unknown to me.

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Artist Bio

Irene McBride:

I respond visually and creatively to the world in the diverse but exacting and enchanting medium of glass. Its very existence is the result of a magical alchemy of the most ordinary of materials, silica, soda and lime.

 

The detail and patterns of nature transcribed through the colour, texture and translucence of glass have allowed for continued inspiration for over 30 years creating as the Discovery Glass Studio. A major source has been winged creatures and feathers including insects, birds and even angels.

 

I employ a variety of techniques in my work that include “Tiffany”, Kiln-formed and hand-engraving. However, the craft of stained glass with its traditional, medieval, grisaille method of painting allows for personal iconography and visual influences. Stories and narrative are important in my work as the written word often becomes an integral part of the finished piece.

 

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