Teddy and Jules work on the perimeter lead for a massive gothic transom stained glass window. This opalescent beauty is being fully restored for First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.
Tiffany Window Restoration in Quincy
The Tiffany windows at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Quincy, IL are a sight to be seen! Bovard Studio fully restored two Tiffany windows and several others after a church fire. Note the attention to texture on the garments and figures. Tiffany utilized the glass qualities to describe form, using herringbone textured glass to give the appearance of feathers for the angel wings and heavily undulating drapery glass for the figure’s clothing.
The windows were removed by a disaster remediation contractor after the church caught fire. After being stored in a warehouse with other church artifacts, the Tiffany Angel window glass was found falling apart in piles across a concrete floor, its weakened condition causing many of the exterior layers of glass to slide from the panel.
It was a challenge to reassemble the window and find proper placement of the plating. Careful study of the intact portions made it possible to return the layers of glass to their original positions on the window. Replacements were carefully chosen from thousands of possible matches and flash glass was acid etched to match existing plating. There was no documentation and very little photography of the windows before removal so the restoration plan was heavily reliant on our extensive Tiffany restoration experience.
All except one of the acid etched pieces was pieced back together and edge glued (though other pieces of glass were also replaced because they were partially or completely missing). The subtle colorations in the robes, background clouds & sky, including the radiance from Christ & descending Holy Spirit dove, were all achieved by selective and precise use of acid to remove color from each layer of colored glass, only leaving it in the locations needed. The result being a full restoration faithful to the techniques of Tiffany.
West Angeles Cathedral: A Feat of Stained Glass
Bovard Studio took on an exciting and ambitious project, developing a technique and process for the West Los Angeles Cathedral to meet Los Angeles’ strict earthquake codes. Even with the strict earthquake code requirements, Bovard arose to the challenge and exceeded everyone’s expectation with an amazing kaleidoscopic design in a window that is longer than 2 football fields put together, plus a 10-story tower. The 800 lb. panels are an amazing feat and the project finished ahead of schedule.
Painting Faces for Stained Glass: Edisto Island Project
Notice the difference a few layers of shading can make to these faces compared to the preliminary line work. For those unfamiliar with the process of stained glass painting, line work helps to establish the foundation. Note the black fill around most of the figures, which provides a buffer zone from the lead. The buffer prevents the lead overlap from covering important details on the figures.
Our Talented Staff: Moline Restoration
A face peers out from a painted glass piece in a window being restored for a church in Moline, IL. The heavy brushwork is even visible in reflected light and will complement the angular lead matrix in the stained glass window. This amazing panel was completed by Kara, one of our talented stained glass craftspeople!
Nativity in Stained Glass
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Bovard Studio! Enjoy this colorful nativity window that we custom-designed, fabricated, and installed for First Presbyterian Church in Seymour, IN
Stained Glass Craftsmen Preserving History
Yuri stands proudly next to the panel he restored for Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Moline, IL. Artists like Yuri help preserve historical artwork for the public’s enjoyment!
Line Work for New Stained Glass: Edisto Island Church
Multitudes of heads and limbs are at the beginning stages of stained glass painting for a new hand-crafted window. The windows will feature different Christ water miracles, tying together the water theme for St. Frederick & St. Stephen Catholic Church, a new church in Charleston, SC.
