fused glass – Rainbow Glass Studios

The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies (OXCIS) was founded in 1985 and was built over several years on donations. Its Patron is King Charles III, speaking as the Price of Wales said “The Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies has done so much to promote and improve our understanding of the Islamic world. That mission has great importance in our increasingly interdependent world. The relationships between Islam and the West matter more today than ever before.”

We were approached in 2011 to make several fused glass panels to specific geometric designs. What look like thin lead lines are in fact grey glass fused to the brighter colours so each window is a single piece of glass mounted into double glazed units surrounded by intricate wooden carved frames.

In 2011 Rainbow Glass Studios were approached by a London based architect to make eight large windows for the Blackpool Central Library. Each window measured 2m wide x 3m high, and we had 3 months to make them ! This was a very short lead time for such a large and complex project but it was an exciting challenge and we were ready. The designs were generated from the input of Blackpool Library users and brought together by Nick Robertson, it was then over to me to use whatever glass making techniques to enhance the design. My team for this project was Shane Moore, Scott Brown and Zhanna Foglietta. The images below puts the spotlight on of one of those windows, the illuminated train, a feature of the annual Blackpool Illuminations each autumn. This section was made using traditional stained glass method, etching, painting and leading. Here are some pictures showing the process.

In time I’ll be posting more about the various techniques used in making these Blackpool Library windows which included, glass fusing, laser etching, screen printing, kiln casting, verre eglomise to name a few. Looking back I’m amazed at how much we achieved in such a short time but sometimes it takes a tight deadline to focus the mind and get things done. I couldn’t have done it without Shane, Scott & Zhanna.

Tag: fused glass

OXCIS, lovely Geometric Fused Glass for a new Institution

The Amazing Blackpool Library Windows