On Saturday, March 11, 2017 John and Laura Gilroy, of Gilroy Stained Glass Vancouver, gave the Epiphany Sacred Arts Guild members an in-depth presentation about the production of stained glass art from their ecclesial portfolio.
Some of the cartoons used in the making of stained glass art at Gilroy Stained Glass
We looked at their watercolour designs, the cartoons which work out the light values, glass cutting and assembling, painting and engraving the glass and how they build form and expression with finely etched faces and hands.
The Gilroys took turns to explain the finer details of the Stained Glass making process
Laura and John showed many examples of their commissioned works in places such as Sacred Heart Cathedral in Kamloops, John Paul 11 Pastoral Centre in Vancouver, St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Victoria, St. John the Apostle Church in Vancouver and St. Agnes’ Anglican Church in North Vancouver.
“Our objective is to illuminate our sacred buildings with glowing, jewel-like colour to lift the spirit and be a source of teaching and inspiration.”
They talked about the problems of restoring old windows and the technical problems of installation. They also brought examples of stained glass art from 80 to 100 years ago and John explained how in their apprenticeship program in England they were expected to copy exactly the figure they might be restoring. After acquiring this level of expertise they were then allowed to work on their own new creations.
About 15 members and associates were present and many artists brought examples of their work which we all looked at during the ‘show and tell’ session. Steve gave us an update about the progress of the 15th Anniversary Exhibition planned for 2018. We welcomed Jeannine Paquette Lau as a new member. Thank you again for the lovely pot-luck contributions. Laura Gilroy during the talk
ESAG Members gather round the Gilroys for a group picture after the talk
Next month, on April 8, Ana Maria Silva and Patricia Ballard will present their research on Copyright Law for Artists. Don't forget to bring your artwork for Show and Tell. We look forward to seeing you then.
Calligraphy artist John Suter shares his colourful work during the Show and Tell Session in March.
View some of the latest work by our ESAG Artists in our online gallery at www.epiphanysacredarts.com/gallery