Design of the Month · August 2009

"Peacock"

I have been involved in stained glass after attending courses at my local college five or six years ago. Like a lot of other stained glass artists, I was introduced to Glass Eye 2000 by my instructor. Since then, I have never looked back and use the software for all my glass projects.

The inspiration for the peacock design came from a visit to my local glass supplier. They had recently received some dichroic glass, and the blue stock reminded me of some peacocks that I had photographed at a local country park. I wanted to incorporate elements of realism and pattern in the same design and this seems to have worked, as I regularly get comments about this piece when people view my website. I even got a request from an artist in the USA who asked permission to use the design to advertise an event at a peacock sanctuary. The panel is made using lead came, but I usually prefer to use copper foil as it allows me to get finer detail into the work and is far less messy. I wanted to display this piece as a free-standing panel, but it was difficult to find anyone who could build me a steel frame. I eventually attended a series of welding/metalwork courses at Plumpton Agricultural College and now I build my own frames, which gives me greater creative scope.

I recently completed a complex copper foil panel for the summer house of a client who was very keen on chilies. Sealing the panel inside a double glazed unit made it suitable for use as an external window and had the added advantage of keeping the panel in pristine condition. I produced the design using Glass Eye 2000 and was able to amend the design to suit the client's needs after emailing the designs back and forth.

I find the software great for quickly trying out ideas. I also use it regularly to simulate what the artwork will look like when finished, and this makes working with clients a lot easier, particularly when the client lives a long distance away. I use the software to create my cutting templates, which is far faster than other methods. The "Suggest" option in the software finds elements of my designs that may be difficult to cut or construct.

I have the Standard Edition, but will soon upgrade to the Professional Edition so that I can benefit from using the glass libraries. I would also like to explore the capabilities of the Lamp Wizard for three-dimensional designs.

~ Clive Campbell

About the artist

Clive has worked for over 30 years in the UK insurance and IT industries and as a hobbyist has always been interested in art, especially pastels, oils and acrylics. Soon after taking up the art of stained glass he partially retired from the world of commerce and set up a small studio/workshop. He produces a wide range of work from traditional windows to abstract pieces. He established his website Aries Glass in 2006 where examples of his work can be found. His aspiration is to create some large artworks for either a municipal or corporate client. He would love to work in Spain or the Mediterranean where he feels the light is particularly magical. You may reach Clive by email.

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