The Glass Painter's Method by Williams & Byrne
In my last post I gave you 9 tips for keeping a steady hand when tracing, or – “How to stop the wobbles“.
The last tip was, not too much wine. (Well, actually, none at all is best. At least before.)
Which reminds me how David’s been teetotal for 30 years.
Not a single drop.
Thankfully, that’s not the secret of his amazing skill, though as I say, you’ll definitely paint better when you’re “dry”.
No, other things also count – like your painting bridge and how you treat it …
Many people ask how to keep a steady hand when tracing. They say their hands sometimes wobble and shake. Well, there are various things to remember here. I’ll tell you about the most important ones.
All 9 of them.
Oh – plus a free bonus, number 10.
Just been preparing for tomorrow’s visit from the Art Fund – ten of its committee members will join us in the studio.
So what’s the “Art Fund”?
Right – the Art Fund exists to buy important works of art for the nation.
And why are they visiting Williams & Byrne?
“When I’m gone …”
Did I write that?
Well, I won’t be gone any day soon, because there’s still a whole lot of hair in my blender, even though it’s been getting a lot of punishing use these last three months …
Everything is clear now. What a fool I’ve been. For several weeks now, David has been as cheerful as a giraffe in a kimono, and I couldn’t work out why. Yes, work is going well. But, all the same, we’re English, which means – well, bowler hats, cricket bats and lots of milk with your tea. However, just this morning he thumped the latest glossy copy of Period Homes & Interiors on my unsuspecting writing desk (yes, and spilled my milky tea …). Oh well, few of us can resist dancing in the spotlight of media attention. And David likes to dance. Oh yes, see here. (It’s the second page he got all frisky about, bottom-right. Above it, you even see the Master’s hand, working on the Dinder Crest.)
Goodness me, we get to see such lovely things. My friend and colleague, Fábio Fonseca, has just sent me this beautiful photograph of Saint Peter (I think Fábio might be restoring it right now; his studio is in Sao Paulo, Brazil).
I could look at this photo for hours and lose myself. (I only wish I had the real thing.)
Is this strange? Our nearest stained glass supplier – Pearsons Glass – is just 60 miles away. Yet we try not to use them. We never recommend them. Every fortnight, they deliver to our area. They always write and tell us when they’ll next be with us. Like I said, they are barely 60 miles away, with regular deliveries and regular reminders. But we use them as rarely as possible and will not recommend them. Is this strange?
Here are two stories about our latest dealings with Pearsons Glass.
Read on, and you’ll see a pattern.
Bored? Then Forget the Internet
by Stephen Byrne
Glass painting is more interesting
I am shocked. A recent poll reveals that 40% of Londoners say they need to be “connected to the internet” at all times (yes, “all”) in order to remove the boredom of queuing.
This means 40% of Londoners are so addicted to distraction (sorry, Londoners, it’s what the poll says) they can’t bear the solitude of their own thoughts.
Here, there are two schools of thought about the effects of technology in particular and of tools in general.
[click to continue…]