JOHN KENNETH CLARK -GLASSPAINTER

The Still House Window at Dalmore Distillery

This is the most important window I have made in Europe for over ten years. It is something totally unique and special. As with many times in my career, I have pushed the limits of the material. For this project I used the astonishing Bullseye Glass.

The still house at Dalmore Distillery presented a rare opportunity — a south-facing wall of architectural scale, flooded with the ever-changing light of the Scottish Highlands, overlooking the waters of the Cromarty Firth. Commissioned by Dalmore and developed in close collaboration with Threesixty Architects of Glasgow, this fused glass artwork spans ten metres from floor to ceiling and forms the visual centrepiece of one of Scotland's most ambitious distillery developments.

The work is entirely abstract yet deeply narrative, tracing the journey of whisky from the earth upward — terroir, barley, distillation, maturation, and finally the fleeting grace of the angel's share, suspended in a lattice of pale amber at the summit of the glass. Using crushed Bullseye glass frit fused to sheet glass, a technique developed over years of international practice, the window creates thousands of small lenses that respond to every shift in light and movement, transforming the space throughout the day.

This is not decoration. It is a work conceived for this building, this light, and this story — and it is intended to remain an essential part of the Dalmore experience for generations to come.

The art works for the Cathedral were to utilise and develop the potential of Kenyan Artists and craftsmen.

Our principal artist for the Kericho project was Florence Wangui who has designed and made the glass “Stations of the Cross”panels and the bronze relief sculpted panels for the main doors. These were sculpted by Florence Wangui and transformed into bronze by Rajinder Kumar Anand at Alchemist Workshop in Nairobi.

For the Kericho project we also accessed the work and abilities of mosaicists and sculptors. This 40 sq/mt natural stone mosaic was made in Maragua by Githaka Karuri and his team.

We had amazing technical support throughout by the Propolis Studio of Nairobi who were involved in many aspects of the Cathedral project and specifically with us in the construction of the steel doors into which the bronze panels are set.

The crucifix was made in Karen by Toumer Yeshim who developed this wonderful method of brass casting.

I designed the roof, made of Kenya Clay tiles has a pattern based on wheat. Three statues made of local soapstone.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral, known as the “Red Church” due to its red brick exterior, is an Anglican church in Shanghai, originally constructed in 1866–1869 by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott.

By the 1920s, the cathedral was a central hub for the Anglican community in Shanghai’s International Settlement, serving both religious and social functions for the expatriate population.

This illustration shows the West facing facade.

Firstly the windows behind the altar were made and installed. Soon after, designs for the East and West facades were commissioned, designs were produced and the windows made.

The first stage was the three Windows behind the Altar. We agreed that there should be three themes, one in each window. There is a very fuzzy photograph showing that originally there were six themes, two in each window. I was asked to work in the style of the probable originals but to use my approach using acid etching to create a less visually heavy set of windows with a greater sense of space. The second part of the commission was to create windows for the east and west facades. We agreed on Old Testament and New Testament themes and using the same visual language as the windows in the south facade although these windows were to be less like Victorian Windows.

When I was designing the Noah Window, I added a panda climbing out of the hold. This caused great delight when it was seen.

I am not sure if services are held in the building or if it is open to the public.

Following the completion of the second set of windows, I edited a short film about the making of the windows focussing on the making of the two small Rose windows. Follow the link below to see the video.

this was a fun window made for a staircase in a private villa in Nairobi. The grid was already there; it is a typical steel frame for security. We made use of the frame in the design process. Made with Bullseye Glass in the Nakshi Glass Studio, in Karen, Nairobi.

The Holy Trinity Cathedral, known as the “Red Church” due to its red brick exterior, is an Anglican church in Shanghai, originally constructed in 1866–1869 by architect Sir George Gilbert Scott.

By the 1920s, the cathedral was a central hub for the Anglican community in Shanghai’s International Settlement, serving both religious and social functions for the expatriate population.

This illustration shows the West facing facade.

Firstly the windows behind the altar were made and installed. Soon after, designs for the East and West facades were commissioned, designs were produced and the windows made.

The first stage was the three Windows behind the Altar. We agreed that there should be three themes, one in each window. There is a very fuzzy photograph showing that originally there were six themes, two in each window. I was asked to work in the style of the probable originals but to use my approach using acid etching to create a less visually heavy set of windows with a greater sense of space. The second part of the commission was to create windows for the east and west facades. We agreed on Old Testament and New Testament themes and using the same visual language as the windows in the south facade although these windows were to be less like Victorian Windows.

When I was designing the Noah Window, I added a panda climbing out of the hold. This caused great delight when it was seen.

I am not sure if services are held in the building or if it is open to the public.

Material - Lamberts Glass, mostly Flashed Glass
Technique - Extensive etching, painting and silver staining
Dimensions - 3 x mts x 0.7mts
Explanation of the design concept.

This small panel, but heavy, is based on a beautiful stone relief sculpture, a very famous one from the Cathedral in Autun, France. I have always loved this image since I first saw the sculpture. I always wanted to do something with it in Glass.

The opportunity came when I was invited by Bullseye Glass to spend time in the Northlands Studio in Caithness, sadly since closed down. I had taken a sample to make from my recently completed Glenmorangie window to make. Michael Bullen, the studio leader, asked me if I would like to try casting. Although I worked with relief sculpture, I had never cast and made repeatable moulds. This was actually the defining moment for my work for around the next 8 years.

I made this piece as a clay, we cast it, made a positive and negative version and then made them using Bullseye frit. What I learned in those few weeks was the basis for the glass work that we used for the Cathedral in Kericho and some of the ongoing work we do in the Nakshi Glass Studio in Kenya.