‘These People Are Intellectuals, They Live in Houses Full of Books and Have Nothing Worth Stealing’ is the full title of Ray’s large black and white drawing (below). When I decided to make a larger stained glass panel from one of his drawings, I had no hesitation about choosing this one, partly because of the fabulous title that tells you what is going on in the picture. The shadows of the two helmeted robbers are seen in the back window and then repeated in the foreground, medieval style, so you really know who is talking.
The photos below document the making process starting with the choice of glass colour and texture. In stained glass dark colours come to the front, unlike in easel painting where they appear to recede. The blue flashed glass I chose for the foreground talking heads dictated the rest of the colour scheme. I’ve learnt from the previous collaborative panels to keep the colours restrained, so stuck to the purple side of blue contrasted with sandy yellow. I used clear glass for the back wall and textured glass for the ceiling and open doorway. Ray said he had no idea who the legs in the doorway belonged to, so I decided to leave them out.
The panel is on show alongside Ray’s original drawing and the notes and lists I made during the process in our exhibition at Norwich Cathedral ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ until December 12th.