Assisi windows and walls

The Basilica of St Francis in Assisi - Lower Church

The stained glass photo above was in the first stained glass book I remember getting. I have always wanted to visit these windows that are in the Lower Church in Assisi, and unbelievably the experience was even better than I could have imagined. The vaulted ceilings covered with frescoes that I know so well from my equally treasured Giotto book turned out to be my favourite part of the whole place.

The atmosphere upstairs is more like a Gothic cathedral, with the first and largest set of stained glass windows in Italy (all heavily restored) surrounded by Giotto's frescoes of the Legend of Francis. The pastel coloured glass in combination with the wall painting was so exciting to see. Photography is banned inside - great not to be surrounded by people with cameras and to know that I'll have to return for a longer visit to draw the colours and rich detail working together.

The Basilica of St Francis in Assisi - Nave of the Upper Church

Early stained glass

My 1977 sketchbook                              Four versions of "Kelmscott: design 1"

When I put my four new glass panels (all versions of Kelmscott: design 1) on the mantlepiece in The Brewhouse yesterday, I was reminded of the first stained glass panel I ever made. I had seen the design for it in my old school sketchbook, on a page after the one about Giotto who was my favourite artist at the time and what I call a real Pre-Raphaelite.

Another frequently asked question from my visitors is "What triggered my interest in stained glass?" I know this was the three postcards of windows in Chartres Cathedral that started off my stained glass postcard collection, shown below. The bits I like best now are the messages on the back from my oldest friends.

P.S. I would love to receive more, address still as on the right in the photo, postcode SN8 4AD.