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Could glass paint replace stained glass?

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Could glass paint replace stained glass?

Could glass paint replace stained glass?

If you follow events in the art world, one of the most interesting emerging controversies surrounds stained glass. While the term “stained glass” can apply to glass that’s been painted, colored, enameled, tinted or truly stained, it typically refers to the latter. Artisans have stained or colored glasses for thousands of years, but as an art form, stained glass emerged during the Roman Empire.

Glass paint could be a safe substitute

Today, the safety of stained glass manufacturing methods has been called into question. The intense colors used in stained glass art derives mostly from toxic metals that are added to molten glass during production. Mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium and selenium are all known neurotoxins. At the high temperatures required for glass production, these metals are vaporized and are released into the air. They accumulate in significant quantities around glass furnaces. Expensive exhaust filtration systems can be installed to capture the toxic particles, but the cost of these systems is often beyond what an art-glass furnace can or will spend.

That’s left artisans looking for a substitute for glass colorants. As it turns out, they may not need to look far. At its artistic high point in the Middle Ages, stained glass production underwent a significant transformation. Artisans stopped using heavy metal additives to achieve color in glass and turned instead to glass paint techniques. For about 500 years, most “stained” glass was actually painted glass. In the mid-1800’s, European and American glassmakers revived medieval stained glass production techniques, and those are the glass formulations that are under fire today.

Although it was largely reserved for churches during the Middle Ages, decorative stained glass made its way into homes and businesses. About 90% of the stained glass that’s produced today is intended for display in homes and offices. Historic preservation and restoration are actually driving the question about stained glass manufacturing. Antique stained glass windows were often installed in higher-end homes from the mid-1800’s until the Great Depression. Only a fraction of this stained glass art in historic homes still survives. A similar question is facing historic churches – how best can stained glass art be preserved?

Environmental and health concerns about stained glass windows (which typically contain lead beading), may render the question academic. While the number of glass furnaces that can safely produce true stained glass diminishes, more artisans may move to the use of glass paint, which dominated the stained glass art world for about 500 years. A significant number of painted glass artworks survive, and artists are scrambling to relearn glass paint techniques.

Modern glass paint offers a number of options, including a wider range of colors. It also eliminates the need to fire finished glass pieces to bind the paint to the glass.

GlassPrimer™ glass paint was not specifically designed for fine art applications, but it provides exceptional coverage, a broad range of colors and can be used in both interior and exterior applications. It’s also UV-resistant, so it won’t fade, even in direct sunlight.

For more information about GlassPrimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our website.

Photo Credit: Lawrence OP, via Flickr

Stained Glass Inspires Computer Game

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Stained Glass Inspires Computer Game

Stained Glass Inspires Computer Game

Artists have used stained glass for years to inspire both themselves and their admirers, so it doesn’t come as a surprise that software developers at Mangatar would turn to stained glass as a motif for their latest computer game, Little Briar Rose.

The cross-platform point-and-click fantasy adventure game uses “stained glass” visuals throughout the game, which is populated by fairies, gnomes, wizards and princesses. The stained glass style was chosen to give the game an “ancient fairy tale” feel.

Creating a computer simulation of stained glass is complex, but computer developers don’t face the same challenges that artists who make genuine stained glass do. Lately, stained glass artisans have been working to confront the fact that their chosen medium can carry some serious environmental risks.

The deep, vibrant colors that are characteristic of stained glass come from heavy metals and toxic compounds like arsenic, cadmium, chromium, selenium and lead. Further, typical stained glass windows use lead beading to hold the colored glass pieces and create the classic stained glass look.

The raw materials for stained glass and furnaces willing to make stained glass are becoming more scarce. Artists are always looking for alternative media that enable them to create similar works more safely.

Glass paint can be an ideal substitute for traditional stained glass. The range and depth of glass paint colors is amazing. Painted glass has been an art form for hundreds of years. In fact, many “stained” glass windows are actually painted glass.

Modern glass paints, like Glassprimer™ glass paint are engineered to bond to glass surfaces permanently. This eliminates the need to fire the paint once it has been applied to the glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint is also translucent and UV resistant, so light will filter through it, and the colors won’t fade, even in direct sunlight.

Please visit our site to learn more about Glassprimer™ glass paint.

Photo Credit: Steven Snodgrass, via Flickr.com

Iconic Glass Structures – The Mapparium

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Iconic Glass Structures – The Mapparium

Iconic Glass Structures – The Mapparium

If you’re ever in Boston, one “must-see” iconic glass structure is definitely the Mapparium in the Mary Baker Eddy Library. The Mapparium is a permanent exhibit featuring a three-story stained glass globe that shows the world as it looked on Rand McNally maps in 1934.

The Mapparium first opened to the public in 1935. Although the political divisions have changed significantly in the intervening 82 years, the Christian Science church, which operates the library, has so far resisted making changes to the panels that make up the Mapparium. As a result, the map still shows historically “exotic” places “Siam” and defunct alliances including “the Soviet Union.”

The Church sites the cost of changing some of the Mapparium’s 608 stained glass panels as one motivator for leaving well enough alone. Another, perhaps more compelling reason is that the Church recognizes the historical value of looking at the world as it was in another era.

Chester Lindsay Churchill is credited with the designe of the Mapparium. It symbolizes the global reach of the church, and was inspired by the New York Daily News’ spinning globe. Churchill’s design is a scale representation of the countries of the world as they would be seen from the center of the Earth. Viewers see the stained glass maps from a 30-foot bridge that traverses the interior of the exhibit.

The Mapparium is more than just an exhibit. It allows viewers to see the size and distance relationships between countries and continents, land features and the oceans. The visuals aren’t the only unusual features visitors experience in the Mapparium. Because of the exhibit’s shape, the acoustics in the globe enable visitors at opposite ends of the 30-foot bridge to hear each other’s whispers perfectly.

A four year-long renovation and restoration project closed the Mapparium in 1998. It was reopened in 2002, fully restored. The renovation also included the addition of sound-and-light shows that “update” the map virtually. The Mapparium is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and tour guides escort visitors through it every 20 minutes while the library is open.

A visit to the Mapparium may inspire you to decorate the glass in your home. If so, consider using GlassPrimer™ glass paint. It is specially formulated to bond permanently with glass, and can be matched to any major paint manufacturer’s palette. Please visit the rest of our site for more information about glass paint.

Photo Credit: Imran Ali, via Flickr.com

Embattled Portland Glass Furnace Moves To Mexico

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Embattled Portland Glass Furnace Moves To Mexico


Embattled Portland Glass Furnace Moves To Mexico

Uroboros, one of the Portland glass furnaces at the center of a controversy regarding toxic heavy metal emissions, has been sold to a California company that intends to move the company to Mexico. Owner Eric Lovell had previously said that the company would close in early 2017, because it was unable to cope with new exhaust filtration requirements.

The new regulations were put into place after officials from the State of Oregon and the US Environmental Protection Agency discovered high levels of toxic metals around the plant. Bullseye Glass, another Portland glass furnace, has installed a massive new filtration system designed to capture toxic heavy metals before they escape the company’s plant.

Bullseye and Uroboros are two major suppliers of colored art glass in the United States. Since the discovery of the plants’ emissions, the US EPA has been conducting tests at other furnaces around the country to determine whether they should comply with EPA emissions regulations. Prior to the discovery of high levels of toxic emissions, the furnaces were exempt from meeting EPA regulations because they were not believed to be in continuous operation.

The furnaces voluntarily reduced production of certain colors of glass to reduce their toxic emissions to acceptable levels prior to installing pollution control systems.

Uroboros was purchased by Oceanside Glasstile, which will move all of Uroboros’ operations to a facility in Tiajuana. According to Lovell, the Portland facility will begin a staged shutdown on February 1. Bullseye Glass will continue to operate, having recently completed the installation of a bag filtration system that will reduce the plant’s toxic emissions to nearly zero. Bullseye increased its production levels late this year, but is now addressing concerns about increased selenium emissions, and additional groundwater contamination stemming from rainwater runoff from the facility’s roof.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: born 1945, via Flickr.com

New stained glass window honors Queen Elizabeth

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New stained glass window honors Queen Elizabeth

New stained glass window honors Queen Elizabeth

Westminster Abbey has announced that painter David Hockney will create a new stained glass window to honor Queen Elizabeth II. The window will be unveiled in 2018 in time for the opening of the Abbey’s Diamond Jubilee Galleries, and will coincide with the 65th anniversary of Elizabeth II’s ascension to the throne.

Elizabeth II is England’s longest-reigning monarch. She was married at Westminster Abbey in 1947. The Abbey also hosted her coronation in 1953. Westminster Abbey, founded in 960, has been the traditional site of numerous life events among the members of England’s royal family, largely because the Abbey belongs to the monarchy. All coronations since 1066 have taken place there, and most English and British royals are buried at Westminster Abbey.

In 2011, Hockney, who is considered to be one of the premier contemporary British artists of the 20th century, was invited to paint a portrait of the Queen but turned down the opportunity. For the stained glass window, Hockney will supply the design, working closely with Westminster Abbey. The Abbey will oversee the production of the window once the design has been finalized.

Hockney works in a number of artistic media, including paint, photography and printmaking. He divides his time between London and Los Angeles, where he owns two residences. Early in his career, Hockney focused on portraiture. His later works include photographic collages and etchings.

The stained glass window will be installed in the Diamond Jubilee Galleries, which will be part of the museum complex at Westminster Abbey. This portion of the complex dates back to the church’s original foundation, and has been used as a museum for more than 100 years. The new galleries, which are currently under construction, will be elevated and will create significant new display space for artifacts held by the Abbey.

Glassprimer™ glass paint is a specialized glass coating that bonds permanently to glass surfaces. GlassPrimer also makes a glass surface molecular activator that is designed to work with UV-inkjet glass printing processes. For more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Defence Images, via Flickr.com

Stained glass future in doubt

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Stained glass future in doubt

Stained glass future in doubt

Churches around the United States are finding themselves in a new battle – one that pits their cherished stained glass artwork against the environment. Stained glass suppliers and manufacturers are being limited by federal regulations governing lead and other heavy metal emissions from glass furnaces. That makes the future of stained glass uncertain. It also means that churches will have an increasingly difficult time getting stained glass windows made, repaired and replaced.

Stained glass cost may exceed market demand

The US Environmental Protection Agency is considering new regulations that will significantly limit the emissions from glass furnaces. Ordinary glass does not emit significant pollution, but colored glasses – many of which are made by combining metallic salts with raw materials for glass – can emit high levels of heavy metals like lead, cadmium, manganese, chromium, cobalt, copper, nickel and uranium.

While some of these metals are stable at room temperature, the glassmaking process heats the metals to the point of vaporization. Most of the vaporized metals are released into the furnace exhaust. Furnace exhaust can be filtered, but the filtration systems are extremely expensive, and beyond the budget of most glass producers.

In addition, current federal regulations provide exemptions for smaller glass furnaces, but new regulations would lower the filtration requirements. The required filtration systems would likely be too expensive for small glass furnaces. Stained glass windows are completely customized, and can exceed $20,000 apiece. The loss of smaller glass producers would likely increase the price of stained glass beyond the reach of most churches, and increase the amount of time required to fulfill stained glass orders.

One alternative to stained glass is painted glass. Painted glass windows can provide a similar effect to stained glass windows, but do not compromise the environment during production. In addition, painted glass windows are easier and less expensive to repair and maintain.

If you’d like more information about glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Sheta Chow , via Flickr.com

Stained glass rules put the hurt on churches

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Stained glass rules could put the hurt on churches

Painted glass window at St. Alkmund’s, Shrewsbury, England

New rules for stained glass manufacturers that have been proposed by the EPA could reduce the amount of stained glass available to churches. In turn, this would significantly increase the price of stained glass for the biggest consumers of the material.

Stained glass regulations expected soon

New EPA rules are being finalized that would directly affect the manufacturers of stained glass. These new rules would require the use of expensive filtration systems for small glass furnaces. The stained glass manufacturing process uses lead, cadmium and other toxic heavy metals that are discharged into the air around the furnaces.

The EPA has become alarmed by the quantity of these toxins that are accumulating in areas around glass plants that do not have filtration systems. Current rules require furnaces that run 24/7 to filter their emissions for the toxic metals. At the same time, the rules allow small furnaces to skip the filtration systems. If the new rules are adopted, however, firms that produce 50 tons or more of glass would need to install the filtration systems, regardless of how often their furnaces run. Filters must recapture 99% of the offending toxins.

Small furnaces – those that typically run without filtration – must abide by temporary production limitations imposed by the EPA. When the rules are finalized, art shops, artists and customers fear that they can not get stained glass, or that they’ll need to purchase imported stained glass at a higher cost.

An alternative to stained glass is painted glass. Glassprimer™ glass paint makes a permanent bond with the glass surface, and will not delaminate, fade or chip, even when exposed to direct sunlight. The paint can be applied in thin layers to control the flow of light through the glass. The paint costs about $1 per square foot, and can be matched to any paint palette from any major paint manufacturer. The paint is easy to clean, low-odor and comes in a water-based alternate formulation.

If you’d like more information about Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit the rest of our site. If you’d like to purchase Glassprimer™ glass paint, please visit our online store .

Photo Credit: Andrew Fogg, via Flickr.com