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Sally Eaton - Stained Glass Artist

Calling Sally a stained-glass window maker would conjure too many restricting associations with functional window design. Referring to her as a stained-glass artist perfectly describes the methods in which she exploits a very versatile medium in very creative ways. During her residency (in which she transported the entire contents of her workshop to set up practice in the Hornby Centre), she was able to impress upon the children the many ways in which the medium of glass can be used artistically, sculpturally, decoratively and functionally. Just as there are many different types of paints at the painter's disposal, so there are many different types of glass; some plain, some coloured, some textured, some shot through with many colours, and some layered (like plywood is layered in composition) so that the artist can etch through the outer layers to reveal the colours beneath.

Sally's talks were very revealing as well; not only for the detailed explanations of materials and techniques, but also for the emphasis she placed on following a process common to all creative activity. The children were reassured to see that the procedures they were encouraged to pursue (investigation, research, designing, making, evaluating) were exactly those essential to the success of Sally's work. This was demonstrated in many other sketchbooks which were full of observation drawings, photographs, design drawings and written notes, based on favourite themes like coastal landscapes and beaches.

So; what did the children produce?

Sally described the technique of "slumping", and showed examples to explain how softened, kiln fired glass would sag into a mould placed underneath. Three large windows were assembled from small square panels shaped and formed in this way from moulds the children made themselves. Pieces of coloured glass were used to frame the work.

Another two windows were constructed from panels that the children had painted using special cold-glass pigments, and all look magnificent. Clifton Pre is fortunate to have lots of examples of stained-glass windows around the school campus; in its Upper School cloisters and Chapel etc. Sally's work has certainly drawn attention to these and has created in every child in the Pre a much clearer understanding of the materials and processes involved in their production, and a much keener appreciation and awareness for the beauty of the medium.

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