John K. Clark - Glasspainter - Stained Glass Artist - Riverside Parish - Dumbarton

John K. Clark - Glasspainter

Riverside - Dumbarton - Text

DESIGN BRIEF

The Brief

During my first discussion with the Rev.Cairns, Mr Kyle and Rev. Scobie the word beacon was used. The window should be a beacon. This was mainly due to the location chosen with the aspect looking along and from the High Street.
The window should also be a Millennium Work.
The existing structure of the frame of the window was to be retained.

The Concept

The proposed design picks up on these concepts. It will have a close viewing quality from inside and act as beacon from outside.

This design continues a series of works where I have combined a text or texts and suitable symbolism.
In this case the texts are drawn from both Old and New Testament sources in keeping with the readings in the Church.

Old Testament Quotations

Exodus
3:14 And God said to Moses, I AM THAT I AM.
3:2 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a thorn-bush: and he looked, and behold, the thorn-bush burned with fire, and the thorn-bush was not being consumed.

New Testament Quotations

Acts
2:2 And there came suddenly a sound out of heaven as of a violent impetuous blowing, and filled all the house where they were sitting.
2:3 And there appeared to them parted tongues, as of fire, and it sat upon each one of them<

I have tried to integrate the concept to lie harmoniously with the structure rather than try to ignore it.
This structure implied a cross in the middle. With the other two symbols, the Spirit descending at Pentecost exuding tongues of fire and the symbol of the Burning Bush, this becomes a Trinity Window in keeping with our theme of the Millennium.
In this case the text will act almost like a veil in front of the symbolism.

The proposed window will be made of "flashed glass" this is a glass with two layers.
A thick base glass and a thinner flash. This top layer can be etched away enabling tones of colour to be achieved.
The glass will then be painted using traditional glass paint and silver stain.
The panels will be installed from outside using the existing framework.

John K Clark. June 2001

Breakdown of the text

It was very interesting as I had begun forming the concept and looking for suitable texts which I very quickly found. The number of letters contained within the whole image was controlled by how many letters I should include within the small square sections of the window at the corner and so on. Once that I had decided that there should be four in such a square then the total number of letters became apparent.
The selected texts fitted almost exactly into this structure with very little need for alteration.

AND THERE CAME
SUDDENLY A SOUND
OUT OF HEAVEN AS
OF A VIOLENT IMP
ETUOUS BLOWING,
AND FILLED ALL T
HE HOUSE WHERE
THEY WERE SITTIN
G.AND THERE APPE
ARED TO THEM
PARTED TONGUES,
AS OF FIRE, AND
IT SAT UPON EACH
ONE OF THEM.
GOD SAID TO MOSES
I AM THAT I AM
AND THE ANGEL OF
JEHOVAH APPEARED
TO HIM IN A FLAM
E OF FIRE OUT OF
THE MIDST OF A
THORN-BUSH: AND
HE LOOKED, AND
BEHOLD,THE THORN
BUSH BURNED WIH
FIRE,AND THE THO
RN-BUSH WAS NOT
BEING CONSUMED.