Suffice to say, I was a nervous wreck right from the start. Up to this point I had never even so much as BEEN to an A&S competition, never mind competing in one. And here I was being tossed into the deep end. But, my Laurel and my apprentice sisters had faith in me, so I knew I'd at least remain afloat. I just had to work through the nerves and focus.
Once we had been tasked with entering the competition, I sat down with Elizabeth and we went over the things I had in my portfolio to get ideas about what to actually enter for the competition. Within the portfolio she came across the draft that was the inspiration for this AoA I had that went out at Pennsic last year. Along with a few other pieces, but we kept coming back to this particular piece. The lovely stained glass, and the idea of translating it into paint and white-work. Here's the original piece, and here is where you can find the location of the original piece as well.
The documentation for me was the hardest part; having never done it before and I've never had a good time at any kind of research papers throughout school either. When I completed it, I was halfway pleased with it.
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DOCUMENTATION AND PICTURES BELOW:
This
stained glass panel is one of several Grisaille Stained Glass Panels located
from at least four different lancets, long narrow windows, of the choir windows
at Saint-Ouen at Rouen. This piece can
be found on display at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 8; also known as the Early
Gothic Hall (The Cloisters). The museum has the piece classified under
‘Glass-Stained’ and lists the material used as pot-metal glass, colorless
glass, silver stain, and vitreous paint. Those were the common materials used
when creating such windows.
Traditionally, ‘Grisaille’, pronounced gree-zah-yuh, is
defined as a ‘monochromatic painting done in shades of grey’. Originally, colored windows were intense in
color, rich and even heavy. They were primarily used to strike a deep, solemn
note as befitted the churches and the times; the windows themselves used to
shut in worshippers from the outer world. Even going so far as to wrap them in
mysterious and beautiful gloom. As time went on, however, there was a demand
for more light and, as such, Grisaille windows with small amounts of color came
into play; contrasting the rich picture glass held in the same church.
Materials and Process
While the original piece is glass, and my current skill-set
does not include stained glass work, I decided that the best way I could do
this piece any justice was through paint. Taking into account the definition of
Grisaille, I decided to adapt the painting a bit. As you can see in the image above, there is a
great amount of white space; while that looks stunning in glass, I decided
change it over to white-work. So, the majority of the background in my piece is
dark, the white-work accentuates the gray scales and brings them to the forefront.
This process helps the smaller details to gain the attention they deserve while
not taking away from the piece as a whole.
In recreating this piece through paint, the materials I used
were vastly different from the original materials. For the base, I chose a
heavyweight piece of paper called Pergamenata; which is a close approximation
to aged parchment. This way I at least was able to achieve the look and feel of
a manuscript page.
For the outline of the design itself I used ink dip pens and
Higgins’ brand Black Magic Ink. By using this ink it further helps establish
the feel of the recreated piece; where you can actively feel the ink laying
atop of the paper as opposed to our now standard pens where the ink
only seeps into the paper. In the image provided to the left of this page,
you’ll see the ‘in process’ inking stage. I did take a small artistic liberty
to incorporate our Tyger into the details along the sides.
The next stage of the process was the painting. The paints
that I used are all Windsor Newton Gouache Paints. The first thing I wanted to
do was tackle the white work vines. That meant laying down the base color, in
this case black, and start working the vines up a shade lighter at a time.
Ultimately the vines ended up being composed of seven different shades of
black/gray to the final embellishments of white. You can see the vines in the two
different stage pictures below, in the process and with only a couple layers of
the grays. Those same shades and layers went into the detail work in the very
center of the piece as well. Once the vines were completed I was able to move
onto the accent colors as well as the gold work for the leaves. Again, adding a
bit of white-work embellishment to the leaves at the edges of the papers to
finish it up.
While I’m very pleased with the final outcome, I know that the next time I would take a chance and attempt to use gold leaf. Something that would be a challenge, to be sure, but something that I think would elevate any piece to another level. And, after that, it would be to recreate this piece in actual stained glass-work.
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The documentation also included a few 'in progress' photos of the art as it was done. From pictures of it in the 'inking' and 'completely inked' stages and all the way to it's completed stage.
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| Background layer of black and start of whitework |
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The competition itself was.....stressful. When we got there set up was quick and then it was a wait and see game, I guess you could say. I had every intention of getting up and looking around at the other entrants' projects but nerves and the people stopping by got the better of me. I ended up staying at my table, talking, and it was alright. Since my judging wasn't until 2, I got to actually watch Tola, who was set up next to me, go through her judging and it made me feel a bit better.
My judges (Nataliia, Amy and Eleanor, please forgive me if I misspelled or forgot a title(s)) came around about 15 minutes early, as well. Which, I think was more of a help then a hindrance, as it was 15 minutes less for me to sit and stress and worry. Common theme with me, you see. I'm a worrier and a stresser.
For the judging itself I was a nervous wreck, I wasn't sure how to say what it was I wanted to say and as is usual when talking in a stressful situation, I stuttered a bit. The judges helped, asking questions that helped direct the conversation and such, so I'm thankful for that. And, after that they thanked me and went on their way. The rest of the day was supporting my Laurel family and actually enjoying time with people I love surrounded by art. Who couldn't have asked for a better day?
Going into this competition, I knew full well that I wouldn't win. I knew that it was likely my scores wouldn't be high and that this was going to be a learning experience. The score that I did receive was fair, to be honest. I knew that my documentation was lacking and that there were things that could have been done better or expanded on, but I just wasn't sure of the HOW to expand. While I don't necessarily agree with every part of the judges feedback, I appreciate their point of view and their opinion on the whole thing. I can take what they've given me as well as what my Laurel has told me and adjust, adapt and move forward. And, really, that's the important part.
The biggest highlight of my day, though, wasn't really anything huge. It was the little pile of favors that people actually left at my spot. Each person that left one asked me questions that actually made me think and give an articulate answer. Even the kids. And that's one of the big things that I take away from this. That, no matter what the judges may say, there are people out there that find joy in my art. That's the main reason I do this, to see other's smile.
The competition itself was.....stressful. When we got there set up was quick and then it was a wait and see game, I guess you could say. I had every intention of getting up and looking around at the other entrants' projects but nerves and the people stopping by got the better of me. I ended up staying at my table, talking, and it was alright. Since my judging wasn't until 2, I got to actually watch Tola, who was set up next to me, go through her judging and it made me feel a bit better.
My judges (Nataliia, Amy and Eleanor, please forgive me if I misspelled or forgot a title(s)) came around about 15 minutes early, as well. Which, I think was more of a help then a hindrance, as it was 15 minutes less for me to sit and stress and worry. Common theme with me, you see. I'm a worrier and a stresser.
For the judging itself I was a nervous wreck, I wasn't sure how to say what it was I wanted to say and as is usual when talking in a stressful situation, I stuttered a bit. The judges helped, asking questions that helped direct the conversation and such, so I'm thankful for that. And, after that they thanked me and went on their way. The rest of the day was supporting my Laurel family and actually enjoying time with people I love surrounded by art. Who couldn't have asked for a better day?
Going into this competition, I knew full well that I wouldn't win. I knew that it was likely my scores wouldn't be high and that this was going to be a learning experience. The score that I did receive was fair, to be honest. I knew that my documentation was lacking and that there were things that could have been done better or expanded on, but I just wasn't sure of the HOW to expand. While I don't necessarily agree with every part of the judges feedback, I appreciate their point of view and their opinion on the whole thing. I can take what they've given me as well as what my Laurel has told me and adjust, adapt and move forward. And, really, that's the important part.
The biggest highlight of my day, though, wasn't really anything huge. It was the little pile of favors that people actually left at my spot. Each person that left one asked me questions that actually made me think and give an articulate answer. Even the kids. And that's one of the big things that I take away from this. That, no matter what the judges may say, there are people out there that find joy in my art. That's the main reason I do this, to see other's smile.
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