Design of the Month · August 2005

"Gazebo"

When I first discovered the world of stained glass, I based my work on other people's designs. I spent many hours going through pattern books and searching the Internet to find just the right pattern. I would then spend more time scaling the pattern to make it fit my project. I soon realized that I needed a better way to modify the patterns. That's when I discovered Glass Eye 2000. At first, I used the software mostly to resize the patterns and to choose the colors. That was fine in the beginning, but the more I worked on the patterns the more I realized I was ready to create my own. This gazebo pattern is the first complex pattern I have created and now there is no turning back. I left all my books behind now that I can draw my own patterns, something I find very satisfying.

This panel was designed for my mother-in-law. When she moved into her new condo two years ago, she didn't know what to do with the arched window in her bedroom. After a year and a half she still hadn't decided, and her temporary solution -- a blanket pinned into place -- had become a permanent one. So I offered to make a stained glass panel for her. She agreed, but I needed a design that would "work" with her bedroom. Then one day I was on a stained glass discussion forum and someone suggested that I take a hike. Literally!

The original photograph

I kept this in mind and one day last summer, coming back from a day trip with my family, we stopped to have dinner at a nice country restaurant. As we were eating, I looked outside and there it was, the perfect design for my panel. The scene was a gazebo next to a river, with mountains in the background. I took a photograph with my digital camera and later uploaded it to my computer. I then brought it into Glass Eye 2000 as a background image. I traced all the elements I wanted from the photograph and then used the software's drawing tools to develop the pattern further. I added a tree to divide large pieces of glass, changed the shape of the hills to make for a more interesting background, added a path, and simplified the top of the gazebo.

Once the pattern was complete, I chose suitable glass colors using Glass Eye 2000. There aren’t many colors in the original photo because the picture was taken on an overcast day. To warm up the panel I used a light brown for the bushes and an earth tone for the path.

The installed window

Needless to say, my mother-in-law is very happy with her window and she doesn't miss her old blanket at all!

~ Marie-Hélène Bourbeau
 

About the artist

From the first time Marie-Hélène Bourbeau held a glass cutter in her hands she knew that stained glass would be more than a hobby.
Not a day goes by that she doesn't think of a pattern for a stained glass panel or lamp. She works at a local Québec City (Canada) studio where she shares her passion for stained glass with others. She hopes to set up her own studio in the near future. Please visit www.stainedglasspassion.com and www.lapassionduvitrail.com, English and French versions of her website. Her email address is info@stainedglasspassion.com.

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