I’ve always been a lover of stained glass. I like their beauty and colors and I love it especially when light shines through it to show the mixed array of colors on the wall. I love the pureness it brings especially when found in those ancient castle-like church.
However, little did I know that, behind the beauty of stained glass, lies hard work by stained-glass makers.
Thus, when David Moller written a story in Reader’s Digest January 2004 on Rosalind Grimshaw, I felt that I must really post it up here to let everyone know that, behind everything beautiful, lies hard work by another.
Rosalind Grimshaw was chosen to create a major cathedral window for England’s Chester Cathedral. Initially, it was a competition hosted by the Cathedral’s organizers whom wanted to source out the best stained-glass makers that can help create the window for their Cathedral and Rosalind was one of the competitors they invited to join this competition. When she submitted her work to the organizers, they were so electrified by her design that they abandoned the competition effectively and awarded her the job of creating the stained-glass.
Creating stained-glasses are never easy. However, for Rosalind Grimshaw, it sure is more difficult for her as she is down with Parkinson’s disease. Even with regular medications, her body twists and turns, and her head jerks sideways in almost constant spasm. At some times, she is locked with taut immobility. However, despite all these, she still wills herself to go on.
As there are six large and six small panels of the window in England’s Chester Cathedral, Rosalind decided to let the six large main panels be the six days of creation while the small panels will link the creation with the present and future world. Rosalind knew the Old Testament better than most, for she has been reading it in Hebrew as a Child.
Thus, she started her work.
On the first day
For the background of the first panel of the cathedral window, the creation of light, Ros drew upon this treasure house of light-with a sheet of glorious deep mauve. Other pieces in red and brown made up the forming earth, interspersed with lightning in opalescent blue glass.
For the lower “modern” panel, Ros assembled tiny squares to form an image of skyscrapers at night. Long, thin silvers of glass depicted the lights of carsas if photographed by time-exposure.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
On the second day
Ros wanted to depict a river estuary as water reaches the sea and dry land appears. She planned to use a lot of glass that was blue or blue-pink. The pink would represent the man-made pollution seen in some estuaries photographed from space.
She also wanted to show the oceans of the earth as seen by the Hubble space telescope. However, the exact glass she needed had been evading her. After many exhausting attempts to represent the earth using many pieces of glass, she came across a single piece of magnificent blue and streaky-white glass some 60 centimetres across, which caught the essence of that unique view.
And God…divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament…And the evening and the morning were the second day.
On the third day
In seed-bearing plants, herbs and fruits, some of them modeled on specimens in Ros’s own garden that stretches over 100 metres from her studio along a hillside overlooking the River Avon, the colours Marrakesh took their place to create the Third Day of Creation. Ros used those colours to make the plants, herbs and fruits.
For the lower panel, a magnified butterfly egg on young plant tendrils and pollen taken from a flower was created by her to represent humans’ growing understanding of plants and their ability to feed the world.
She had a beaker shaped pattern to hint at the science laboratory and genetically modified foods.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind…And the evening and the morning were the third day.
On the fourth day
Ros created images of the stars, planets and galaxies of outer space for the upper panel.
As it seemed the most natural to pair it with “inner space”, she paired it with a scan of her own brain, in which the yellow ares represented the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. She chose this spot to sign her work in glass: “RG 2000 AD.”
And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also…And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
On the fifth day
It was the creation of creatures of the sea and air.
There were often days when Ros’s ravaged body was so shaky and had so little strength that she was able to cut just one piece of glass-and some days not even that. She also had wild mood swings that Parkinson’s inflicts. When she was bad-barely able to move- she’d despair of finishing the project within the 14-month deadline. Yet, each time, she held on. She persevered. Eventually, she would be back selecting, cutting and positioning pieces of glass on a tray over a light table, before handing them over to Patrick, who will help her to join them with varying widths of lead.
Gradually, the fifth day was completed.
The waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind… And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
On the sixth day
Due to her warmth, it attracts many people to her house. Her house is always frequently crowded with family, friends, carers, neighbours and wandering artists.
Among these people, Ros found inspiration for the sixth and final day. A couple had met and fallen in love at her home. They help model for the two humans in the sixth panel who represented the creation of man. Discreetly, they hold hands behind a kudu cow with blue sideburns.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them...And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Below is the final combined work which Rosalind Grimshaw has created. When the sun shone through it, a stupendous blaze of colour lit the pink sandstone walls. Many people, including Ros, gathered at Chester Cathedral to see the final creation of Ros’s work when it was placed up. As Ros’s eyes travelled over the crowd now transfixed by her work, she saw that some of them were gazing on her creation in tears.
Along the bottom of the window, the final words of the creation were brilliantly illuminated:
And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.
If you guys happen to visit that church, be thankful and know that this stained-glass, was not made in a few days. Instead, it took about a year to create this magnificent beauty. All done by Rosalind Grimshaw, whom is down with Parkinson’s disease, but still, she did not let that affect her and her creation.
Also, as i was looking through the web for stained glass, i happen to chance upon this video which is mostly used for churches. The video's title captured my attention and interest. Upon listening to it, i realized that it is really a very admirable and enticing song. Thus, here i am, sharing it with you all.
Casting Crowns-Stained Glass Masquerade
Somehow, it sure reflects some parts of our life when we feel very inferior to others...
Have you ever felt like this before? Where you put on a fake smile to show others that you are a really very lucky person and that you are always happy when you were never to begin with?
Source
Moller, D.(2004) Colours of Courage, Reader's Digest January 2004, 66-73
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