Starry Night completed!

This wonderful 21" x 27" Van Gogh window is complete. Eric is preparing a custom-stained wooden frame for it, to which installation hardware will be added. My signature and the date have been etched into the lower right corner.

The solder has been patinaed in traditional black which brings out the shapes and glass colors even more vibrantly.  The first photo is in full sun, the second is in the shade.  As the window goes through the day, and the seasons, you can see how the the quality of the light and the colors of the glass will change.  A closer look (in person) will show all the different textures of the glass.  (Click on photo to enlarge, use back arrow to return).

Starry Night is a vibrant, artistic addition to the room, a great conversation piece, and "an heirloom work of art to be admired daily and treasured forever!"  Call to have me build one for you!

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry night soldering has begun

And here is the window after an additional 3 hours, with the front side soldered with 60/40 solder.  Before soldering, the copper foil was brushed with flux, a liquid which enables the solder to adhere to the foil.  Then, working around the window, small dots of solder were applied to the seams between the pieces so that they were tacked together.

The metal jig surrounding the window was then removed and the paper pattern beneath it was slid out from under the window.  This way, the pattern stays relatively clean and can be re-used.  (Click on photo to enlarge, use back arrow to return).

Also, a metal channel frame was custom cut, fitted to all 4 sides, and soldered at the corners.  Next steps:  Carefully turning it over, soldering the back, washing, applying black patina, and waxing.  Updates to follow!

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night copper foiled

After 7 hours and 29 yards of copper foil, the window is now ready for soldering.  To get to this point, each of the 200+ pieces of glass were removed one at a time and wrapped with 7/32" adhesive copper foil tape.  The tape was applied directly in the center of the edge of each piece of glass so that the overlap on the front and back is consistent.  Then the tape was burnished to further secure it to the glass. After foiling, each piece was returned to its place in the "glass jigsaw puzzle".  (Click on photo to enlarge, use back arrow to return).

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night glass all cut

I finished cutting, grinding, and fitting the 200th or so piece of glass today!  At this stage of the 21" x 27" window, some minor adjustments are always necessary.  A few pieces were removed and trimmed to fit better.  They need to be snug against each other but not so tight that the pieces crack when soldered.

I replaced two light blue pieces in the lower middle with a streaky gray opal glass.  Before I begin the soldering, I may make a few more changes.  But overall, I'm happy with the interplay of the colors ... They will come to life when the window is completed and in the sunlight.

So far, I've spend just over 4 hours preparing the pattern and almost 33 hours cutting all the glass.  Next, I'll wrap the edge of each piece of glass with thin, adhesive 7/32" copper foil tape. Stay tuned ...

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night more progress

Here it is as of this afternoon ..

Piece by piece, I'm making my way to the top of the window!  I've added a variety of glass to this one, including rough rolled, wispy, Artique, waterglass, cathedral, some opals, and even a medium blue Flemington, which has little star-like designs embossed into it.  By including similarly colored glass in different textures, the window picks up dimension as well as visual interest. 

This window has lovely movement with lots of curves which are difficult to cut, but for the most part, the glass is cooperating!

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night progress

The glass jigsaw puzzle is coming along.  A few pieces broke the wrong way, and had to be re-cut, but that's to be expected.  More glass arrived on Friday from Florida, but a sheet was missing and another was duplicated ... So we made the trek to the Rockland County, NY glass supplier to fill in the missing piece and add another.  Now that the glass inventory is complete, the window will move forward more quickly.  I plan to tackle the greens next.

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night glass cutting

Glass cutting is coming along well.  So far, each piece has been cut by hand.  I'll resort to my Gryphon Wire Saw if any complex cuts make it necessary, but I find it far more challenging, and rewarding, to cut all the glass for the window by hand.

I've ordered additional glass from a new-to-me supplier in Florida.  (My go-to supplier in Allentown, PA was out of two textures/colors I wanted).  Delivery is expected this Friday, and after that, its full steam ahead.

The two sheets of blue shown above are there just for "preview" purposes, to help determine which colors will look best next to what is already cut.

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night underway

Glass cutting has begun!  One by one, each pattern piece is outlined onto the glass with permanent marker (black or silver).  Then each piece of glass is carefully hand cut and the edges are ground down with an electric grinder.  After each piece is washed off, it is numbered to correspond to the pattern.  The pattern soon resembles a large glass jigsaw puzzle, as shown above.

In order to keep the window square and the glass pieces flush against the others, the pattern is surrounded by a metal jig, as shown.  There are around 180 pieces of glass still to be cut and of course, several more steps in the process. I'll be working on this window until it's complete, or I'll interrupt the process temporarily if a commissioned window is requested by a client.

The glass colors as shown on the pattern are seldom what they look like when the window is done.  The glass which appears black here will actually become a warm, variegated brown when the light shines through it ... and the blues and greens will correspond nicely to similar colors which will be used throughout the window.

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night pattern ready for glass cutting

Numbered manila folder pattern on left,
and color-marked envelopes on right, filled with cut pieces

  
I cut out the manila folder pattern and organized the 200+ pieces into 20-or-so envelopes marked with multiple shades of blue, green, and yellow to correspond (loosely) to the many colors in my glass inventory.  A fun aspect of working with glass is being able to make decisions on the fly.  Undoubtedly, there will be some color changes to the pieces that are currently assigned.  As the window progresses, it becomes evident as to the best location for each of the colors and textures of glass.

Next up, cutting the glass and placing each piece back onto the original pattern.  Many hours of work ahead, but always enjoyable!

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Starry Night pattern traced and numbered

According to the doctor, my foot surgery went "perfectly".  I get my stitches out tomorrow.  I'm walking pretty well but will be saddled with the "Frankenstein" boot for about 4 weeks longer until the bones fuse.

Today, using carbon paper and manila folders, I traced and numbered the pattern for "Starry Night".  Pictured is the pattern itself ... The marked manila folder pattern is underneath it, ready to be cut.

In addition to the pattern maker Chantal Pare 's interpretation, I have color references from 3 other renditions of this pattern as well as a color printout of the original painting by Van Gogh.  I will take all 5 interpretations into account as I choose the glass. This window will have just over 200 pieces.

I've started a log to keep track of how many hours this one takes to complete, as I do with all my windows.  Its good to be back in my studio ... I've missed it!

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.

Next project: "Starry Night" by Vincent Van Gogh

My photography has thankfully kept me very busy this summer.  Click here for my photography blog.  But I'm itching to get back to my glass, and tomorrow's foot surgery will keep me confined to the house for several weeks.  Van Gogh's "Starry Night" pattern by Chantal Pare has been on my list for a while.

I had the pattern enlarged yesterday, and after checking my inventory, I have a nice selection of blues and greens and neutrals, as well as enough chemicals, channel, and chain to complete the window.  Finished size will be 21" x 27". 

As soon as I can make it to my studio downstairs, I'll begin tracing and cutting the pattern.  A great way to pass the time and stay creative while I'm healing.

Click here for Boehm Stained Glass Studio website.