AMILTON D E S I G N G L A S S The artwork of Jeffrey Hamilton

2018 in Review

XX Mon. YYYY

Its been a big year. The continuing project for new stained glass windows in the clerestory of St Peter's Anglican Church at East Maitland, NSW for which I installed two windows in 2016 and two in 2017, required three windows this year.

I did manage to squeeze in a solo exhibition at m2 Gallery in Surry Hills mid-September, just prior to the late October installation at East Maitland. I was rather desperate to exhibit as this was my first solo show in over a decade. I am pleased it was so well received, despite falling on the same weekend as Sydney Contemporary at Carriageworks.

The beginning of the year saw the team rebuild and install 12x decorative leadlight windows from the Oxford Room of St Mathias' Anglican Church in Paddington, having excavated the original windows the previous December. These leadlights were in the worst condition I have ever come across, and everyone in the Parish community was thrilled with the result.

With the St Matthias project underway I was concentrating on completing a new window for Wesley Uniting Church in Forrest, ACT with a very specific (and consequently rather difficult) brief. Featuring an angel bearing a lit candle, it was installed end of January after a long gestation.

Also in Jan/Feb I made a residential fanlight for a couple in Newtown which featured a lyrebird. They own a bush block up on the Central Coast of NSW frequented by lyrebirds and wanted to make special note of that in the Newtown property.

As soon as St Matthias was completed mid-February, the studio got underway with restoration of two lancets from a 5x lancet set of ornamental stained glass in what is now the Chinese Christian Church in Milson's Point. Completed in 1888, this handsome Victorian Gothic building was formerly a Congregational Church and the windows, on the point of collapse until we got them out, are quite pretty.

While all that was going on, I got away for two weeks in April/May with my boyfriend to Vietnam, travelling to Saigon, Da Nang and Nha Trang; it was my first trip to an Asian country and I had a great time.

So yeah, 2018 was a big year, finishing on a busy session of installations for a residential client in Balmain, restoration of a John Ashwin window from St James Catholic Church in Glebe and removal of the Main Hall windows at St Matthias Paddington, to be rebuilt early in 2019. There were various other smaller jobs throughout the year as well, and in amongst it all, slowly but surely my friend Jon Doe and I made progress on a collaborative work which will be constructed in January for the exhibition titled INTERCHANGE at M16 Gallery in Griffith, ACT in February 2019. This exhibition will be a satellite show concurrent with the Ausglass/NZGAS CoLab Conference in Whanganui, NZ

3 new windows installed in St Peter's Anglican, E. Maitland

XX Mon. YYYY

The studio has been working on a series of windows for St Peter's Anglican Church in East Maitland, NSW for the past three years. In 2016 we installed two double lancet sets to the clerestory, two in 2017 and two more this year, which completes the set of six windows commemorating the six regional Parish Churches in the mother cathedral. And this year we also produced a third double lancet window, shown above, illustrating the Conversion of St Paul on the road to Damascus

As in the earlier windows of this set, I drew inspiration from historical reference points: for St Peter a Baroque sculpture by Pierre Etienne Monnot found in the Church of San Giovanni Lateranno in Rome and for St Andrew a sculpture by the little known artist Domenico Guido in Sant Andrea della Valle in Rome

For the design of the St Paul window I decided it was necessary to cast the image across both lancets, ignoring the stone mullion between. The Conversion of St Paul on the Road to Damascus has been painted by many different artists; a Google search will reveal hundreds. I drew inspiration from both Caravaggio and Ludovico Carracci., combining elements of each painting. The Sword of Truth in the quatrafoil above represents Paul's instrument of martyrdom.

Solo Exhibition @ m2 Gallery

XX Mon. YYYY

UNPUBLISHED [and rarely seen] WORKS

THURSDAY 13th- MONDAY 17th SEPTEMBER 2018

Apart from a small two-person show at Glass Artists/Gauge Gallery in Glebe in 2016, this is my first solo for many years. The exhibition will comprise Works on Paper, Collage/Assemblage and Stained Glass.

Technically many of the works are not "Unpublished" at all, since they
feature on this website. But they have not been exhibited in a physical gallery before, hence the title. Some have had one or two outings in the past couple of decades, in group shows around the country, and three damaged works have been especially restored for this show. There will be one completely new work in stained glass.

m2 Gallery is located at 450 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills, not far up the hill from my workshop at Central. It is a well-managed hire-space that has featured some excellent artists over the past few years. I will be in attendance for the 5x days of the show so if you are in Sydney please make an effort to drop in between 9am - 6.30 pm Thursday- Monday.

Design & Painting Workshop for Peli Glass, Zoetemeer NL

XX Mon. YYYY

As part of my 5x week exploration of stained glass in Europe, I was invited to teach a workshop for Peli Glass in Zoetemeer, a suburb of The Hague, looking at principals of design as they apply to stained glass and glass painting in particular. It was a small workshop, with only three students, but no less exhausting for that.

We began on the Friday evening with a slide show and a session examining basic design through additive composition, the results of which can be seen in the group photo above.

Saturday morning kicked off with a series of quick sketches in brush & ink and then charcoal (above) to loosen up and familiarise themselves with the still life, the subject of a longer study in graphite and/or charcoal.

The students were then set the task of converting this drawing into something that could be cut out of glass, all the while deciding what is to be painted and what defined by leadlines.

Once the glass had been selected and all cut, students then placed theglass assembly over the original long study and began to paint the trace line.

We were certainly lucky having a well-equipped workshop to work in. It
meant that several firings could be accomplished in a day as well as
overnight. This allowed for another exercise to run concurrently, something much more free and experimental.

There wasn't time of course to actually build the panels but I was certainly pleased with the results and each student went away with a head full of new ideas and techniques. And I continued on my journey, catching the train back to Amsterdam to see firstly the Rijksmusem, then Cobra and Jan van der Togt Galleries before catching a train to Paris for 12x days.

My whole European sabbatical was structured around this workshop at Peli. It was the trip of a lifetime, with enough inspiration & photographs to fill twenty blogs!

Performance in Melbourne September 9th

XX Mon. YYYY

GLAAS INC is staging a festival of glass events, GLAAS@Melbourne Polytechnic throughout the month of September, with talks by professional glass practitioners, a market, 'fringe' events and an exhibition. I'll have several pieces in the exhibition, the two shown below as well as a B&W drawing. The exhibition opens Friday 8th Sept, 5pm -7pm and launches the whole event.

On Saturday afternoon, 9th Sept. I will be performing a live glass and mixed-media sculpture to the accompaniment of live drumming (Melbourne Polytechnic has a course which includes drumming and circus performance among other things).

The two sculptures shown above are examples of the sort of work I will be creating for the Melbourne event, although the new piece will stand at least 2metres tall and incorporate found object: large eucalypt branches collected form a nearby park I expect.

A New Residential window

XX Mon. YYYY

When offered the opportunity of designing a widow featuring dolphins, I admit I hesitated. Could I achieve something fresh here? Is it even possible to avoid cliche with this subject matter? The clients had something quite specific in mind, an image of a window found on the internet, one which was quite well designed in fact. Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the process and I think I managed to make something worthwhile: you be the judge.

Advanced Workshop in Design & Glass Painting, Amsterdam October 2017

XX Mon. YYYY

2.5 days with guest instructor Australian artist Jeff Hamilton
Friday evening-Saturday-Sunday: 20, 21, 22 October 2017
Zoetermeer, NL (near Den Haag).

This workshop will provide the opportunity to bring your work to new levels and tap into new creativity in stained glass design. Come with an open mind!

Workshop presented in English. Minimum 4, maximum 6 persons.

Instructor: Jeffrey Hamilton, Hamilton Design Glass, Surry Hills NSW, Australia
"Jeffrey Hamilton is an artist with more than 30 years experience. He is passionate about most forms of art and specifically painted glass. He graduated in 1974 with a diploma in Interior Design from Randwick College where attention to detail and fine craftsmanship was emphasized. In 1979 he began training as a glass painter, first concentrating on religious windows. Over the years he has been hugely involved with, and inspired by, the art scene in Sydney".

Workshop participants must have some experience in stained glass design / glass cutting, and stained glass painting.

Objectives:
- To consider design as it applies to stained glass
- To complete several challenging and practical exercises that will focus the mind and provide the opportunity to apply experimental ideas
- To facilitate comparative analysis amongst one's peers, and so lay the groundwork for unexpected insights
- To establish an appreciation of drawing as a core practice

During the workshop participants will be provided with: paints, mediums, glass, use of the kilns, food, drinks/coffee.

A workshop participant is entitled to a 10% discount on all paintbrushes, 5% discount on all sets, and 10% discount on all paints in stock purchased from PELI Glass. This is valid from time of payment until one month after the workshop.

Testimonials for Jeff Hamilton

"Wanted to let you know how impressed I am with your course. Will be referring you to the committee in my survey response... From you we received great tuition, well structured, very well prepared and very personable. As a bonus we were given insights into the technical aspects of stained glass and its history. This year's course (2014) was even better than 2013. Hope to enroll with you in 2015."
Terry Silk

"I was taught by Jeffrey Hamilton, some years ago, I can tell you he is the BEST PERSON to teach you leadlighting, painting on glass and foiling... Whilst there in his old studio in Lane Cove, I and my fellow participants learnt many things from Jeff. The more difficult the pattern the more accomplished you will become. I know he pushed me to the limits."
Paul Brunyee

"Thanks so much for teaching such a great class. It was so much fun and it was great to be able to produce a completed stained glass hanging. I can't wait to start my next project!"
Suzi Gleeson

Cost: € 395 ex VAT.
Interested? Check out our webshop for more details.
Request a non-binding offer today!

tel: +31 (0)79.361.8154 / peliglass.eu / fax: +31 (0)79.361.8493
PELI Webshop

Succesful Installation at Nowra Presbyterian

XX Mon. YYYY

After several months of intense work my new window illustrating Dorcas in a gesture of giving cloth to a pauper was installed into one of the last remaining openings at St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Nowra, southern NSW. The window fitted quite well and installation proceeded relatively smoothly, with only a slight adjustment in the height required onsite.

The subject matter of Dorcas was a request from the donors, in consultation with Rev Fred Monckton, Parish Priest, as best representing the generous and giving nature of John and Joan Coulthart whom the window is in memory of. There was also a requirement to portray the old Presbyterian Church of Numbaa, which stood on the Coulthart's property some 20kms to the East of Nowra. A lot of research went into the design of the window, as is often the case. It was over a year ago that I drove down to Nowra to meet with the four Coulthart sisters and visit the Numbaa property. The old corrugated iron shed with its cast iron pillars still stands but the weatherboard and shingle porch has long since gone and the windows to the shed have been sheeted over. The building was erected as a Church in 1885.

I wanted my figure of Dorcas to be beautiful and compassionate and decided to attempt a recreation of an angel by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones', changing the colours a little, without the wings and giving her a headscarf instead of flowers. As was common for the studio, more than one window was created from this same design. My figure of the pauper is based on a frescoe showing St Cecilia by Renaissance painter Lorenzo Costa. It seemed particularly appropriate as St Cecilia is shown divesting herself of all her possessions.

Work in Progress -but taking a break!

XX Mon. YYYY

Having completed a rather exhaustive program of installations in the last few months of 2016 I am taking a break for two weeks, with the studio closed until Monday January 9th. We have already begun work on the new jobs however: shown above are the full-size charcoal cartoons for a private residence in Balmain and a memorial window for Nowra Presbyterian Church.

All of the glass for Nowra has been cut and waxed onto plates ready for painting. Most of the glass for the Balmain residence has also been cut and some of it already painted, with one small section built (below)

Thank you for visiting my website and reading my blog. I wish you peace and good cheer for the holiday season, wherever you might be in the world. See you with renewed energy later in 2017: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

But Wait, There's More!

XX Mon. YYYY

As I mentioned in my previous blog, the studio has been insanely busy over the past 6x months or so. Yesterday I installed the last of this year's projects, a three-panelled bathroom window for a luxurious private residence in Sutton, NSW.

The beautiful finishes throughout the home include recycled timber, brick paving for interior flooring along with sanded beech in a herringbone pattern, cor-ten steel balustrades seen in the image above and exposed rammed earth walls. The client is a design consultant and approached me with the idea of making a window comprising slices of agate. But she also had an entirely different concept of a mechanical grid made up of a multitude of colours.

I suggested combining these two elements as a design solution: the organic crystal forms are thus suspended in the geometric grid.