Ann Sotheran Stained Glass

What got me started in this work? I never paid much attention to stained glass before I was introduced to the medium at Art school, now I couldn't imagine working full-time with anything else.

The colours are just incredible, the work changes according to the light so it is interesting in different ways at different times of the day, and I like the fact that I can do the whole job myself with simple hand tools rather than just producing a design for someone else to manufacture.

Using a full range of techniques it is possible to get just about any sort of detailing into a design. And it fulfils a purpose, it doesn't just sit around getting dusty! I am now proud to have been elected as a Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters.

You can commission work for your house, either fitted or a free-hanging artwork, for a church or for a public building.

Following an initial meeting and discussion I will produce a small design sketch for approval. Once the design has been agreed, and depending on the project, you may then be involved in choosing the type and colour of glass to be used, after which I will make the full sized drawings and go ahead with the window.

The Designs
I enjoy playing with symbols and motifs which have secondary meanings so that the work can be read on several different levels – rainbows are a familiar and instantly recognisable image to everyone but in church windows they also represent God’s promise to mankind of His everlasting love (Genesis 9:8-17). You don’t have to know this to enjoy looking at the window but if you do know it the whole thing becomes more meaningful.

Techniques and Materials
I use antique glass from France, Germany and Poland, but I prefer English Antique Glass due to its added sparkle and increasingly interesting range of streaky colours. Machine made glass may be used where appropriate, and decorative inserts such as bevels, nuggets, lenses and various “found” glass add interest to plainer designs. The glass is etched, painted, stained and fired as required before being leaded in the traditional English manner.

I carry out all the stages of the work myself because then I can make creative decisions about every step, rather than simply making the drawings and then handing over the work for someone else to complete to a pre-determined formula.

When and Where
I design and make work for many locations but predominantly for churches. I repair and restore damaged windows, as well as teaching night classes for the local authority and running occasional workshops for groups and organisations who would like them.