Window of the Week: Ophelia

Commissioned by a local client in 2004, the Ophelia window was inspired by an 1851 painting by John Everett Millais. The scene depicted is from Shakespeare's Hamlet where Ophelia, driven out of her mind because her father is murdered by Hamlet, drowns herself in a stream.

The rich coloration and fine details were achieved using multiple techniques. The window was created in two plated layers, giving the glass an intensity and brilliance. Fine detailing in the foliage is contrasted with the open flowing water where Ophelia is half submerged. The hands and face of the figure are hand painted and kiln fired.

18" Poinsettia & 16" Acorn

We were commissioned by a client in Michigan to create an 18" Poinsettia shade in deep blues, reds and greens. The pattern features lattice in the upper half and poinsettias in full bloom on the lower half. The deep midnight blue connects the two elements and provides a backdrop for the lush reds and greens. We are showing this lamp on our Budding Gourd Pottery base, but the clients installed the shade as a chandelier fixture in their home. 

Upon receiving and installing the shade, the client sent the following note, "Gentlemen...congratulations on an art work brilliantly executed.  This will become a family heirloom.  I enjoy it from every angle and observe its performance through the day with the bulb turned off but with various levels of daylight coming through.  It was a pleasure to work with you. 

We also recently completed a 16" Acorn shade for our showroom. The shade was made from a beautiful green/amber glass in which the colors blended together perfectly to create a lively shade with subtle color shifts. In our showroom for less than one week, the shade was purchased by a client from North Carolina.

Lamp of the Week: 16" Geranium on Greek Urn Base

Summer always makes me think of masses of Geraniums in pots on my grandparents front porch - and the one year my grandfather accidentally watered them all with bleach - they kept the rainwater they collected in old bleach bottles.

This 16" Geranium shade was created as a showroom piece in 2012 and is now in a private collection. The shade has a smokey blue background which sets off the multi-colored leaves and red flowers. The shade is shown on the elegant Greek Urn base which was created at our studio.

14" Tulip

Just completed and gracing our showroom is this 14" Tulip shade. The colorful shade has a happy, carefree appearance with multicolored tulips against a cheerful blue background. The flower colors change from every angle, giving this small shade a delightful personality. With its varying flowers and lively greens and blues, this shade provides a lovely color accent.

The 14" Tulip is shown on the Mushroom base. This highly detailed Tiffany base has three lights and works with any 12" or 14" shade design.

This lamp is currently in our showroom and available for purchase

Lamp of the Week: 25" Lotus on Mandarin Lotus Base

Inspired by the saucer-like leaves of the lotus plant which can be as large as two feet in diameter, the 25" Lotus shade is unique amongst Tiffany shade designs. The pleated surface undulates along the veins of the leaves, creating a three dimensional effect. Each vein is accentuated with hand applied wire work that follows the ribbing to the irregular lower edge. The slender Mandarin Lotus base is 29" tall, which gives a unique visual profile to the lamp. Examples of this shade appear in several Frank Lloyd Wright homes. The lamp pictured was created for a Chicago area client.

Polychrome Window

Bill has wanted to do a stained glass piece based on this illustration by John R. Neill, from 1909's The Road to Oz, for a long time. The image shows Polychrome, the rainbow's daughter, returning home to her rainbow at the end of the story - her father scoops her up as her sisters welcome her back. The illustration is quite elaborate, which made this an interesting challenge to translate into glass. Bill created this window by himself over several weeks, while Irwin worked on lamp projects for clients.

The first step in creating a winodw is drawing the pattern (called a cartoon) which will be used for the layout and cutting the glass. This involves examining the image and breaking it down into individual pieces that are capable of being cut from glass. Facial details will be painted and fired, and this window will include a lot of painting to give it the feel of the illustration!

The picture above shows the finished cartoon together with a piece of glass that certainly looks like a rainbow all on its own! This glass was used as color inspiration for the entire window.

Bill begins painting the Rainbow's head. Glass paint is basically powdered minerals mixed with gum arabic and water. When fired in a kiln at the right temperature, the paint fuses into the glass surface.


The Rainbow's head has had its first firing - shading and color are built up through multiple layers and firings. Each of the many painted pieces in this window will be fired at least three times.



Here's a kiln full of rainbow faces waiting to be fired. Glass always needs to be tested for firing first, as some glasses can turn opaque in the kiln. After going through the work of painting, you don't want to find a surprise like that.



The Polychrome window is progressing nicely. Here's a shot showing the start of laying out the rainbow. There's quite a way to go yet before the window will be finished.



It's all moving along - The central image of the window is cut and fit and all the painting is completed. The decorative borders have yet to be added and then the final construction of the window will begin.

 

After passing through the stages of design, cutting, fitting, and painting, there are still several steps before the window is complete. We use a copper foil technique, which means each glass piece must be wrapped around the edge with copper foil, which is what holds everything in place after soldering. In the photo below, Bill is foiling (on the left) and soldering (on the right). After soldering, the window is cleaned and the lead lines are darkened. Finally, the window is ready to frame or install!

Our stained glass rendition of Polychrome returning to her rainbow is finished!

Lamp of the Week: 18" Grape

The 18" Grape is one of several Tiffany Studios lamp designs that incorporate a cast bronze crown at the top of the shade that mates with the Tree Trunk base. This shade features ripening grapes cascading down the side of the shade. We created this shade over 20 years ago and it resides in a local collection.