Glass Painting:
A Tradition
Jon Erickson has been painting on glass for two decades. The craft of stained glass fabrication has changed little since skilled artisans crafted beautiful leaded glass windows for the towering cathedrals of Europe. Jon's methods are much the same as those used by his predecessors.
The process of glass painting is much different from the techniques used in painting on paper or canvas. The artist covers the entire surface of a piece of glass with pigment. |
Using a brush, the glass painter then removes the pigment to create modulations of light and highlights. The glass is then carefully moved to a kiln where the color is literally fused to the surface at high temperatures.
The heated glass then has to cool properly to prevent damage. Then the process has to be repeated until the desired effects are achieved. Several trips to the kiln and many hours of firing are not unthinkable for a single piece of glass. Since any leaded glass window is made up of many pieces of glass, the process is complex and time consuming. Next Section>>> |

Cartoon and painted glass |