Recent Restorations

 

The first restoration is from a panel in a window, quite broken by vandals, from a church in Cardiff. It’s a mixture of original painted and stained pieces along with remakes that I made to match the originals that were beyond repair.

The tint of glass was matched to the original pieces and then samples were made to match the colour of glass paint and silverstain. Then the repainting could begin, followed by firings in the kiln before the panel was releaded and installed back where it belongs. Along with extra support bar for additional security.

The removed vandalised panel

Painting the replacement pieces

Releading on the bench

One side soldered the other to go

Viewing the repainted area

The panel reinstalled

The second restoration below is a simpler panel, located in the Rhondda, not needing any painting, just glass matching and releading. Due to the vulnerable location of the window a new polycarbonate window guard has been installed for extra protection.

Before

After

Protective polycarbonate guard

 

Connecting Through Craft

In April, I ran some workshops in Butetown Community Centre as part of the Connecting Through Craft project with the Makers Guild of Wales. In these short, intensive taster sessions, participants learnt how to cut glass and create their own fused glass pieces.

It was great to hold one of the workshops in Butetown Community Centre having been shortlisted for a glass project some years ago, when the centre was being built.

Button Community Centre Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/butetowncomcentre

For more information about the project view: https://www.makersguildinwales.org.uk/butetowncommunitycraftproject-755723.html

Cutting glass in the workshop

Creating a fused mosaic glass tile with Bullseye glass

Pool House Gallery Exhibition 2024

Colours of the Garden

Sunday 16th June - Sunday 7th July

Christian is delighted to be part of the Pool House Gallery exhibition ‘Colours of the Garden’ as part of this year’s Fresh Air Sculpture show. Christian will be exhibiting a small selection of stained glass panels available to purchase over the show’s duration.

The Old Rectory, Quenington, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 5BN

The show will be open 10am-5pm daily including Sundays.

To discover more about the shows including visiting information and tickets click on the links below:

https://www.freshairsculpture.com

www.freshairsculpture.com/artists/pool-house-gallery/

 
 

Colours of the Garden

Pool House gallery

The ‘Colours of the Garden’ reflects a maker’s reaction to the garden and its surrounds; some choosing the water running through the Old Rectory grounds, others seeking inspiration from the stunning borders in the garden or the dry stone walls that border much of the space. Working with British makers this carefully chosen collection aims to show examples of the craft disciplines of jewellery, ceramics, wirework, mosaic, wood, willow, glass and metalwork. There will be pieces for the home as well as the garden on a smaller scale to the main show.

Read More: www.freshairsculpture.com/artists/pool-house-gallery/

Spring School Workshops

It’s been a busy few months, part of which has been visiting schools to teach primary and secondary students about stained glass, and how it is made, from design to finished window. The children learnt how to cut glass and had a go themselves, getting a hands on experience.

We went through a project I designed and made for All Saints Church in Penarth, looking at how I created the drawings, then the techniques and materials that were used, comparing them to medieval glaziers.

Many thanks to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School and Llanishen High School for hosting me.

I’ve been visiting schools in South Wales for the last twenty-five years as a stained glass artist and have taught in Primary Schools, further and higher education as a qualified teacher. If you would like to book me in please get in touch and I can send you some information.

 

Cutting glass with Year 5 and 6 at St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Penarth

 
“We all tried out cutting glass with Mr Ryan by using a glass cutting tool and breaking ‘grozers’ (pliers) to
break the scored glass along the cutting line. All pupils found the session really interesting to explore the
colours, shapes and techniques involved in such beautiful pieces of art. Diolch yn fawr Mr Ryan.”
— St from St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Penarth

Twitter Post about workshop in St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Penarth

Excerpt from Llanishen High’s Newsletter

Cornerstone Window Dedication

In July this year the dedication of a new stained glass window designed by Christian, in memory of Christian Brown OBE, took place in Cornerstone, Cardiff. The Most Reverend George Stack, Emeritus Archbishop of Cardiff, presided over the events, with a thanksgiving Mass in St David’s Cathedral said beforehand and a celebration dinner held afterwards.

 
 

The occasion marked the end of the commission, which started before the pandemic and saw the window installed last Easter. The window itself has been on a journey around the country with Christian working with friends, fellow artists and craftspeople to get the window made while he was fulfilling teaching commitments.

The first stage involved Christian working from his deign to draw the cartoons. The elements of the design were proposed by the client and include the Papal and Archbishop’s coat of arms, badges of the The Military Order of the Collar of Saint Agatha of Paternò and The Order of St Gregory the Great, along with a scene spanning both lights containing imagery celebrating Christian Browns’s life.

 

Left: Papal Coat of Arms | Right: Coat of Arms of Archbishop Stack

 

On completion of the cartoons, Christian commissioned letter cutter Nia Bennett from Cowbridge to draw up the inscriptions. Once the glass had been selected, he handed over to glass artist Rachel Phillips who worked from the cartoons and cutlines to cut, etch, paint and stain the glass. After all the glass had been fired it was transported to Yorkshire to Jonathan Cooke, glass painter, conservator and master craftsman, who cut the background glass and created the finished panels.

The panels were transported back to South Wales and installation was undertaken by Christian and Mac McHugh from Great Panes, sucessfully installing the window last spring. A true collaboration between friends old and new.

 
 

Stained Glass Apprenticeship Launch

Christian was delighted to see the launch this month of the new Stained Glass Craftsperson Apprenticeship at Swansea College of Art. In his role at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), Christian has been developing the apprenticeship programme and has overseen the start of the first apprentice’s training workshop during the week. The launch was combined with a symposium led by Martin Crampin titled ‘Capturing a Moment: Swansea Stained Glass Archives.’

The symposium reflected on the stained glass archives in Swansea College of Art and elsewhere in Wales, using the commissions for Coychurch Crematorium as a focus for discussion. Coychurch Crematorium was opened in 1970 and contains some remarkable stained glass, including work designed by the influential German artists who were invited to teach in Swansea in the 1970s and 80s, and early works by students who went on to establish international reputations.

As well as Dr Martin Crampin (University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies), speakers included Dr Jasmine Allen (Stained Glass Museum, Ely) and Dr Reinhard Köpf (Heritage Department, Mönchengladbach).

Christian speaking at the launch

Back to the Future Webinar

A date for the diary! 20th July 7pm I'll be taking part in a webinar to promote the new stained glass apprenticeships that have been developed through a joint effort by the British Society of Master Glass Painters, the Worshipful Company of Glaziers, volunteer senior professionals and the Institute of Conservation (ICON). The new qualification is to be delivered by the Swansea Glass School (University of Wales Trinity St David), with end point assessment provided by ICON.

https://www.bsmgp.org.uk/shop/events/lectures/back-to-the-future/

Journeys/Teithiau Exhibition, Rotherithe

Seek His Face, Christian Ryan, 2023

A travelling exhibition of small stained glass artworks on the theme of Journeys, by Jonathan Cooke, Catrin Davies, Nicola Kantorwicz, Elizabeth Lamont, Rachel Phillips and Christian Ryan.  On this occasion they are joined by talented illustrator Sandra Doyle: www.sandra-doyle.co.uk

This exhibition is a continuing Journey:  originally planned to start in Wharfedale in 2020, It was interrupted by covid restrictions, went online, and in 2021 it was one of the first post-pandemic exhibitions at Ely’s Stained Glass Museum.  From there it travelled to St Mary’s church in Barnard Castle,  as part of their Windows to the World festival, and for the Open Heritage weekend, to St Helen’s church, Denton in Wharfedale, home to an important picture window by Henry Gyles.

In late 2021, a sheet of hand made streaky glass made by English Antique Glass was cut into six equal pieces, with lots drawn to allocate one to each artist.  They are responding to their portion of the whole in separate and individual ways, creating six new works which will be brought together and seen for the first time at Rotherhithe in a unique collaboration.

This weekend exhibition has been planned to coincide with Music Antica Rotherhithe’s first concert of the new season,  Saturday 17th June at 7.30pm, featuring La Commediante – Banchieri’s madrigal comedy Barca di Venezia per Padova and extracts from Landi’s La Morte d’Orfeo 

https://www.musicaantica.org.uk/ for details

June 16th-18th 2023

Friday 16th -Sunday 18th June 2023, Holy Trinity Church, Rotherhithe SE16 5HF

Friday  11am -4pm, Saturday  11am -5pm, Sunday  12 noon -4pm

The Pentecost Window, All Saints, Penarth

Earlier this summer, back in June, it was the dedication of the Pentecost window in All Saints Church, Penarth. It was a great service and a real privilege to be part of. The window was commissioned in memory of Robert and Phyllis Berry.

The dynamic composition references the events described in Acts 2, “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. “

The inscription is from the post communion prayer of the Celebration of the Holy Eucharist and is taken from the last part of ‘Send us out in the power of thy Spirit to live and work to thy praise and glory.’

The installation was completed with polycarbonate window guards as protection.

A New Commission

A new commission, designed by Christian, is underway for a memorial window, with the theme of the Pentecost, for All Saints Church Penarth, South Wales. The drawing are complete and the glass is being cut ready to be painted on the easel. More will follow soon.

Worshipful Company of Glaziers Award

Earlier this year Christian was proud to have been awarded a continuing professional development award from The Worshipful Company of Glaziers & Painters of Glass in order to attend a silver stains and enamels master class with Jonathan Cooke in the Glass department in Swansea School of Art. This was an in-depth three day workshop exploring the advanced use of silver stains and enamels in stained glass. Many thanks to the Glaziers Company for this opportunity and to Jonathan for his tuition.