We moved our family and our extensive stained glass studio from Bristol, England to Vancouver in 2005 because we fell in love with the city's beauty and creativity, moreover fellow artists and architects advised us that our qualifications, abilities and portfolio were not available here on the West Coast.    

A little about us....

A little about John....

"Learning how to use and adapt the tools of the trade and experiment to achieve varied techniques in the painting and staining of stained glass takes not just an interest, but a passion in the medium.

From an early age I was encouraged by my mother (a keen painter in oils and acrylics) to try different mediums and to above all enjoy using them. One of my first memories was of my mother asking me what I was drawing and rather indignantly, because it seemed perfectly obvious to me, I told her it was an astronaut. I had just been watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin taking a giant leap for mankind.

From a technical point of view painting stained glass is similar to etching. In removing the paint you achieve your highlights and semi tones, but that is where the similarity ends. The use of sable brushes to apply line and structure, hogs hair for semi tones and highlights, and sticks and needles to blend tones or remove the paint down to the glass, plus a host of other adapted tools is a very tactile way to create a piece.

One of the most enjoyable areas of my work in the last few years has not only been more involvement in designing, but the development of styles beyond how I was originally taught. Creating 'Glassy' painting which is sharp, jewel like and reads strongly from a distance, especially important for ecclesiastical pieces, brings a lot of satisfaction as does the drive to better these skills and to look at things from another perspective."   

A little about Laura.....

"My love of stained glass began when I was very young and allowed to go with my father to his workshop where he made lead lights, or to accompany him to one of the many churches for which he produced work. I started my career early, at the age of 12, when I began designing ornamental lead lights for him in order to earn my pocket money.

When we are invited to meet a client to discuss a proposed project, it is very important to me to try to get an understanding of the person(s) for whom I will be designing the window; their preferences and dislikes, not just regarding stained glass. This, combined with seeing the location and light source of the window, adds to an almost instinctual knowledge of what will be the right design. Stained glass, by its inclusion in the fabrication of a building, is not just a work of art; it adds atmosphere and colour to its surroundings in a way that I feel no other medium can. This is why I always prefer to use antique mouth blown glass with its vast range of colour and hues. I am fascinated by glass, by the intensity of colour and by its multi-faceted and complex nature.

I always hope that after meeting with us the client will be excited by the proposed project and by their involvement in it. At this stage we try to show that we can create what they envisage even if it is very different from the images in our portfolio, or that we can supply design options even if they have no clear idea of what is required.

For me, the design and conceptualization is the most exciting part of a project, but seeing the finished window installed in position runs a close second!"

Do you have a stained glass project in mind? Contact us today and we would be delighted to meet with you to see how we can help you.

Photography provided by the talent of: Chris Dutton