My First Attempt At Stained Glass

So here it is, my finished stained glass panel!

One of my New Years Resolutions was to learn a new craft, so I was really excited to see my local art venue The West End Centre was running a 10 week stained glass workshop through the grey drab winter months! Maggie Beal runs the glass course, and was a great help and inspiration throughout. I really liked Maggie's personal work, and she encouraged us to experiment with painting on the glass, which I was particularly eager to try! I had no idea what to expect from the classes, but I believe they greatly improved my attention to detail and importantly, patience! Crafting is still a hot topic, but it was nice to try something which really put me out of my comfort zone - ie: basic maths, breakables and scalding hot welding equipment - all went well thank goodness!

Stained glass is a very traditional and (in my case) slow process, but I hope you'll agree, the final effect is lovely, as soon as the sun hits the panel, it glows, and you can see all different shades and textures in the glass. I chose a garden design (mostly because I was yearning for spring to arrive!) so we have a proud old tree watching over the greenhouse, with bean frames and veg patch in the middle, and a chirpy blackbird welcoming the sunshine!

I also used a variety of different techniques with the paint (luckily escaping any nasty inhalation complications too, turns out mine wasn't lead-free, whoops!) As well as walking away with the panel, it was also the first time I've used a sketchbook since graduating, an excellent step in the right direction! I am aiming to attend further day courses at The West End Centre to improve my technique so I might one day create some on my own, watch this space!

I highly recommend giving a new craft a try this year!

Monthly Wish List - February

February has certainly gone in a flash! It's always a bit of an awkward month, with us all feeling impatient for lighter evenings and less knitted layers! But many hardy flowers are now springing up and providing some colour, which is a sign we're heading in the right direction!

The first item on the wish list this month certainly injects some springtime into this grey week! Now I'm beginning to learn how to paint on glass, I can appreciate any detail on stained glass, it's a tricky business! This Victorian panel may not be a masterpiece, but I really like the artists style, it's warm and quite nostalgic, and lets face it, I love anything with a bird on it! I'm really enjoying my stained glass class, it's teaching me lots of patience and attention to detail - thank goodness for that!

Speaking of springtime, this lovely painting caught my eye instantly. It was painted in the early 1900's, described as an 'Impressionist School Effort', so sadly, no name to research. These two girls walking in the woodland just remind me of Mary from The Secret Garden, or maybe even Alice in Wonderland with the blonde hair and blue dress! The detail of the woodland flowers is superb, and the breakthrough sunshine on the forest floor is gorgeous, you can almost feel the beams on your face, with leaves crunching underfoot. If only it had been in my price range, it sold on Ebay for £723, but i just think it's a scene that seems familiar to many peoples childhood memories...

The following items come from mine&mums recent trip to our local (and favourite) Bourne Mill Antiques Centre, where we spent a good few hours this half term, and didn't leave disappointed  (Although I have yet to photograph our purchases - next time!)

These door knockers were very painful to leave behind. The door knocker we had when I was young was a Fox, so I've always admired novelty shaped examples, but this chubby bumble bee was delightful and as soon as I have the funds I'll be racing back, praying it's waiting for me! The owl is equally gorgeous, but I will soon be "The Weird Owl Lady of Aldershot" if my collection isn't limited to only the necessary...well, i'll give it a try!

In the main taxidermy dealers room, I found this beautiful Victorian dome full of jewel coloured birds...although I will admit, so many little bodies in one piece does unnerve me slightly, just like when I went to The Booth Museum. But none the less, this dome was beautiful and very reasonably priced, Ebay has gotten far too expensive now taxidermy is acceptable again!

Finally, an item I knew Bruce would appreciate, featuring a fox of course! This was perched in a room otherwise filled with furniture, so stood out a mile! I practically knocked other browsers out of the way to get a closer look, I can't help it, I'm a lady on a mission! We all know the debates surrounding foxes in the UK at the moment (best not go into it!) but I'm sure that hasn't hindered their popularity in collectables and design, disappointingly! ;) That purple, cold winter sky is painted perfectly, and the fact you can see foxy's breath as he surveys his kingdom is brilliant, I wonder if it'll hang around for long...

I think that's enough 'wants' for this month! As always, thanks for stopping by, I won't leave it so long until my next post, I've been writing this next book review for ages, I just need to press PUBLISH!

OH! And you may have noticed the blog has had a re-vamp over the last week, what do you think?

Hope you're having a good week!

Katie

The Booth Museum Of Natural History

During my recent trip to Brighton, I visited The Booth Museum for the very first time! Founded by naturalist Edward Thomas Booth in 1874, it remains true to its nickname "home of the dioramas", as Booth was the first man to depict taxidermy animals in scenes resembling their natural habitats, down to the type of foliage and rocks included. His detailed sketches and notes show how determined he was to keep his work true to life, and as well as his taxidermy and famed bird collection, he also studied fossils, skeletons and insects. The skeleton room is vast, holding elephant skulls, and narwhales amongst other amazing examples, even a human skeleton features!

Booth was born in 1840, to a well-to-do family. His early years were spent in education in Brighton and then on to Trinity College Cambridge where he studied only briefly, before be asked to leave having spent more time on the fens shooting and observing birds than studying! The museum guide told us he was quite the playboy character, with too much time on his hands as a young man, it was the best career choice he could have hoped for! He was considered a real character, and even had his own carriage at Brighton Station to hook up to the next outward bound train whenever a new or rare bird was spotted! 

The view inside the museum, as it was around 1911.

Sorry I didn't take a photograph of the entrance now to compare, the light in the museum is so dim (to preserve the taxidermy) that my Iphone was quite useless, and the next photos aren't exactly brilliant, but hopefully they'll give you an idea of the sheer amount of work in this building! It doesn't look like a large space from the outside, but they sure have made the most of the space! Floor to ceiling cases, some absolutely huge, the top ones housing eagles and vultures which are eating lambs and rabbits...nice! Apart from a new desk and study area, the exhibits look exactly the same as the above picture. Here are a few pictures i managed to take, apologies for the quality!

My favourite bird of the moment! See all the leaves and foliage included? 

Family of Partridges

1. Claire and the giant fish!  2. Fantastic Flamingo!

Painted dioramas in the fossil room

Booth should never be regarded as a commercial taxidermist, as his collection until his death was a private resource. The building itself was built specifically around the collection, some cases even featuring in the walls themselves. Considering I co-own several taxidermy pieces with Bruce, I did find the museum quite overwhelming, all those little bodies peering out into the dim lit room...I don't know why I felt like that, I'm pretty tough! I guess the thought that Booth shot all those birds and animals himself is another factor, he certainly was busy! But it's a true gem in the naturalist movements crown, you won't be stuck in queues to look in the cabinets like at the Natural History Museum, it's much more curious at Booth!  It's a truly unique place to visit and I thoroughly recommend you pop by when you're next in Brighton, especially if its raining cats and dogs like on our trip!

 Myself by the Narwhal/Killer Whale/Dolphin and Indian Elephant specimens. 

Stained glass windows in entrance hall.

Thanks for reading!

Katie