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Johan and Wolfe at Mirage Glass are well known for their architectural and decorative stained glass, so why is so much of what is currently on show mosaic work? Have they stopped making the stained glass altogether?
“Oh no, we will still be making the traditional stained glass at our workshop in Llangedwyn. There are several reasons for our apparent change of direction; firstly that we have been asked to design pieces that are wall-based rather than window based, and, thinking about it, it makes sense to produce work that could be wall-mounted.
Secondly, we are both having trouble with arthritis in our hands. After almost 35 years of designing and making stained glass, we are finding that everything we make takes much longer now. To make work using a different technique rests our hands, and being able to use the small pieces of glass that are inevitably left over from larger commissions means that we are recycling more, which is always good.
Mosaic making is much simpler than making traditional stained glass, the real skill lies in the design stages; but it takes much longer to make than one might think! On the positive side, it is less stressful and more playful in many ways, and we like combining different materials like rocks and shells into our designs.
We have recently completed a trophy in mosaic for the Powys Eisteddfodd, and are looking forward to making many more pieces of both stained glass and mosaic over the Autumn and Winter.”
Stained Glass Mosaic
We have made mosaics for some years now, but recently we have become more and more involved with mosaic as a medium.
Showing our stained glass work has always been difficult, light boxes are no substitute for daylight really, and it is much easier to find spaces to display wall-mounted work. Making mosaic also gives us a welcome opportunity to recycle many of the small pieces of glass left over from other projects.
The craft skills are relatively simple compared with designing and making stained glass, but can be very time-consuming. More work is needed during the design stages, too. Mosaic involves working with reflected light rather than with transmitted light as in stained glass, so we are using a completely different thought process as we work.
I will go out walking and absorb the sense of a place, and although I may take photos, once I am back in the studio I am working with the memory of what I have seen, heard and felt.
As with the stained glass, much of our work is commissioned, and designed to themes chosen by the client, and this work has been mostly representational and decorative.
How we make mosaics
When designing mosaics we have to keep in mind the size of the finished piece and its proportions, the colours of the space in which it will be placed and how it will be lit. We have to consider how it will be fixed in place, too; because although smaller pieces can be hung like pictures, large mosaics are heavy!
We tend to keep the outline drawings very simple. Each piece of glass creates its own changes as it is added, so we try not to let the drawing dominate. We like to experiment, because a degree of unpredictability adds life to a design, and the work will create its own rhythms of colour, form and movement.
There is a certain discipline demanded by the rigidity of the materials, but that apparent restriction leads, paradoxically, to greater creative freedom. The direction and flow of the lines between the glass pieces is as important as the pieces themselves and are an important part of the finished design.
There are two main methods of making mosaics. The direct method is used for mural panels, three-dimensional pieces or uneven surfaces. When we have made our design we transfer it onto the base, which could be wood, stone or tile, and we glue the pieces of glass directly onto that backing and then grout it.
The indirect method is used when a smooth, weatherproof piece is needed, like a garden paving slab. We cut and stick the glass face down in a mould, and pour concrete onto it. When it has dried, a week or so later, we turn it out of the mould and regrout the top surface, which should be perfectly flat!
Although this is primarily freeform coloured glass mosaic we also use the traditional square glass tesserae for borders, and sometimes incorporate stone, ceramics, jewellery and other found objects into our designs. |
