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| "Tibet," leaded art glass, aka stained glass replaces the view of the porch ceiling. Note the colorful reflection of color on the ceiling. |
You may have seen this piece in progress: first the approved
design and full sized cartoon followed by the pattern pieces for each window
reduced down to a few thin piles of paper. Now the journey is complete, with the
finished artwork installed in the Boynton’s home.
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| Before: A view of the porch ceiling. |
During our first meeting, the Boynton’s shared many of their
interests and loves with me.
It was when they shared the excitement of their
experiences from a recent trip to the Himalayan region including Bhutan, that we
knew we had pinned the overall design theme. They had chosen the transom
windows between the dining room and porch as the location for the new art work
to live. It would be a reminder of their journey.
Working from their stories and photos of their journey as a
starting point, I returned to the studio to create the design with possible
color combinations. Jim had been envisioning harmonic earth tones, while Marylou had a preference for strong colors. Most images of the Himalayas emulate subdued
earth tones. After long deliberation, together they chose to have the majestic
mountains portrayed in rich, saturated colors. The colors echo cultural
elements in that part of the world while being a visual dichotomy between life
in the Himalayas and life in the hills of New York’s Southern Tier.
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| "Tibet," detail of central mandala. |
As the design began
to unfold, it seemed fitting to name this piece “Tibet” after the Himalayan
region. The Boynton’s were captivated by, not only the scenic beauty of the region,
but also the culture. During our discussions of their travels, it was apparent
that the journey to this remote part of the world was a cultural experience so
close to nature that it would always be a part of them. As the design
progressed, the Himalayan Mountains and mandala would be the focal points in
the glass artwork. Other details would dive into the culture.
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| "Tibet," detail from one village wall looking to another village in the Himalayas. |
Detailed photos of the leaded glass windows show the Tibetan
Prayer flags, which were prevalent throughout the region. Terrain of the mountains
was highlighted with subdued vitreous painting, to give the illusions that the
mountains are off in the distance. Nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas is
a monastery with turkey vultures soaring in the background, reflecting the flow
of life and death within nature.
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| "TIbet," detail with turkey vultures. |
Capturing the essence of the prayer flags proved to be a
particular challenge. Brilliant transparent colors would highlight the prayer
flags best. However, how could they be placed in the mountains without
intrusive lead lines surrounding each flag? I needed to find glass that
provided rich hues but also captured the physical properties of
the flags. I decided to create the mountains using Lambert’s mouth blown flashed sheet glass – glass that has a clear base
layer, with a thin, flashed color layered on the top. At each prayer flag
location on the mountains, the portion of the flashed glass was removed leaving a colorless
surface exposed. To ensure an accurate fit, each colored flag was meticulously
cut and hand ground to minimize light shadows. Then each piece was laid on top
of the mountains so the etching templates could be made as accurately as
possible. This in laid approach gives the appearance that the flags are floating
without the constraints of lead.
Perched high in the hills of New York’s Finger Lakes Region,
with panoramic views throughout the house, the art glass windows provide a
wonderful splash of color during the day with all four seasons as the backdrop.
At night, all other windows in the home are untreated and unlit windows that appear
as a solid sheet of darkness. With lighting, the colorful art is a treat for the
residents from both inside and out. These dynamic changing views and colorful
shadows remind the Boynton’s of their once in a lifetime experience by
reflecting on the simplicity, beauty and cultural harmony with nature of the
region.
"Tibet has become very important to me as a way of transcending the particulars of my
experiences, and situating them in eternal cycles of life and death. If I
get going too fast, I stop and gaze at the mandala, and slow down. The
prayer flags stretch from the immediacy of the mandala to the distant
mountains, and draw me out of myself. They just flap away. I could spend
the day watching the colors change with the day's light, but, as you know, one
has to get the laundry done.” – Marylou
Boynton
Working on this design was a great joy as I traveled through the many images of the region. It is a region of the world with which I have a personal and spiritual connection.
To see “Tibet” in progress visit Nancy Gong, Gong Glass Work's
Facebook page.
Photos and all art glass © 2013 Nancy Gong.
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