Sunday, August 8, 2010

By The Seaside Window

We have completed the large, multi-layered window inspired by the painting By The Seaside by Pierre Auguste Renoir. This Impressionist masterpiece presented several exciting challenges as we translated the piece into a stained glass window.

Impressionist paintings are all about color and the play of light on the scenes being depicted. When touring our studio, we often tell visitors that the best renditions of Tiffany floral lamp designs occur when the color is selected in an Impressionist palette. The same holds true for windows. When selecting the glass for this style of window, the piece becomes more about the way the colors and textures are blended than about being too literal. When chosen and executed properly, this style of working gives the finished window (or lamp) a liveliness and a spark of excitement. The element of surprise delights the viewer and allows them to see something different in the finished work every time they look at it.















This window was commissioned by a couple in New York City and is housed in a custom made light box that will hang on their wall as a "lit painting". The photo above shows Irwin soldering on the back side of the window before adding the additional plated layers of glass to the front of the piece.

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