This is an introduction to my work and background.

I studied stained glass and mosaic at the Glasgow School of Art 1976 -1981.
The most influential of my teachers there was Alfredo Avella to whom I owe a great deal.
Other teachers were George Garson who was a wonderful mosaicist and Bob Stewart who was the Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director during my Masters degree.

After the very early death of Mr Avella, who was my friend as well as my teacher, I was asked to lecture and teach in the Murals and Stained Glass Department.
It was strange to teach people only a couple of years younger than yourself particularly when you are only one or two steps ahead of them. This was a very good experience for me and also gave me access to the facilities and experience I needed to begin undertaking my own projects.

In 1984 I set up my own studio and began working solely as an artist. Most of my work has been stained glass commissions, many of these are included in this Home Page.
Stained glass is also known as architectural glass and I use the term 'glasspainting' for what I do and 'Glasspainter' for my profession and as the internet domain names became available I decided that it would be a good idea to have the right to this name.

Most of my work has been commissioned.
I am asked to produce designs for a specific location, project, theme and usually within an agreed budget and time schedule.
Not all artists make good commissioned artists or can respond to the discipline. It suits me. I have found that being commissioned sends me into areas of study into which I would not have expected to venture. I find often that I have to study intensively and read extensively before the actual design process can begin.
A good example of this was for the Queens' Park Synagogue Project where I was asked to design 20 windows on the theme of the Jewish Festivals. I had only heard of 2 of them.
It took at least 6 months before I was really able to begin designing but by the end of the project, 3 years later, I was invited to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to talk about the making and the symbolism of the project.

My approach to designing is very much brief led. On several occasions, I have more or less, written the design brief.
I am not keen on competitions. I like to develop an idea with the clients and the others involved in a project working a design through with several consultations.
A competition tends to be conducted so that a final design is laid on a table with only written explanation which I feel often goes unread.
Competitions have a role to play however and being involved can lead one into new areas of thought and new concepts. A major reason for their failure often arises as there is seldom enough time to find a really good solution to a design problem. I know this happens in many professions but for something like glass or architecture when the result is fairly permanent or at least measured in tens if not hundreds of years, a schedule of three weeks to produce a design is just silly.

I like to make the work appropriate to the location.
It is mostly my intention that a work should feel immediately right in a location, as though it has always been there. This does not mean that it has to look old or old fashioned, part of designing is that a work should feel right. It goes without saying that a window should enhance the space or location it is st in. For this to happen, scale and composition and tone are all important.

The drawing stage of a window has become very prominent in my work. Most of my projects require good drawing and I find that this stage allows the concept to really mature and develop.
In the past, I only made drawings up to the point where I could resolve the leadlines and the main elements of a work preferring to leave the most difficult decisions until working on the glass.
It's funny, but I now find that I make the drawings, make the working drawings from them, hang them up in the studio and don't look at them again. But the process has been gone through and it is inside you.
This approach still allows a great deal of spontaneity within the work.
I neither study the drawings or the sketch designs during the process of glass selection and through most of the other stages. I often vary what I originally intended as I work and see the glass.

Since 1990 I have made most of my work at with the Derix Studio.
I think of it as my glass making studio. I have also my own studio where I make the drawings and work on paintings and so, but most of my glass work is done at Derix.
I know most of the people who work at Derix. There are people to help when I need it and I work to suit myself. I control my own projects and do what I consider to be the most demanding parts of the work; glass selection, etching, painting and silverstaining. The rest of the work the studio carries out.
Earlier in my career I used to have to carry out all of the processes alone. The mundane and non creative part of the work would take up so much time and drain away the creative energy. It is nevertheless still extremely hard work.

Since the beginning of this web site I have tried to put my current projects online as I making them, there may well be a certain amount of repitition because of this but I hope not. The recent works that have shown an in progress slide show have been; the Millennium Window for Glasgow Cathedral, The Falklands War Memorial, The Alexander Stone Memorial and the making of the windows for St. Mary's in Blyth. All are quite different from each other.

If you would like to send any comments I would be pleased to hear from you.

John K Clark December 2000