Glass and Print Precedents and Perspectives

Kevin Petrie

Introduction

Good morning everybody. It's good to see so many people here. I have administered the booking for this event, so I know that we have a broad cross­ section of delegates here today. This includes professional artists working in the print and glass areas as well as students of both glass and printmaking. You are all very welcome.

Before moving on I think it might be useful to explain how this event came about. A couple of years ago I was fortunate enough to be awarded a Research Fellowship by the University of Sunderland in association with the RCA. This allowed me to explore the combination of approaches from two separate strands of creativity: Glassmaking and Printmaking. The cornerstone of this research has been my book, 'Glass and Print' (fig. 1).

I was also able meet a number of people working in the area. For example, through an Australian lecture tour and a two symposia with the US company Bullseye Glass. This allowed me to work alongside, Steve Brown from the RCA who is speaking later, to develop some new ways of working with glass and print.

The main collaborative element with the RCA has been the organization of this symposium with Felicity Aylieff, Senior Tutor in Ceramics and Glass and Prof Martin Smith, Head of the School of Applied Arts. What we tried to do when developing today's programme was to take a broad view of the subject in order to provide a 'snapshot' of some aspects of contemporary practice. We also aimed to cover the three broad aspects of glass: Architectural Glass, Kiln formed glass, and Hot Glass. Although these areas can often be interconnected, they form a convenient framework for talking about the subject. There is perhaps an emphasis on architectural projects today because I think this is the area where most glass and print activity is taking place. Although, artists are

exploring the areas of Kiln Glass and Hot Glass, there is still great potential for development in my view.

Outline

In my presentation today I aim to give a broad overview of the combination of glass and print in order to set the context for more specific presentations by the other speakers. I will give a brief outline of the historical context for glass and print and then some examples current perspectives. I will conclude with a brief discussion of a new process, Integrated Glass Printing that I have developed at the University of Sunderland.

It is useful to explain that the term, Glass and Print, refers to the application of imagery, pattern, or text to the surface of glass using some form of printmaking technique. This allows for the reproduction of imagery and also a range of distinct aesthetic effects. Printing onto glass will, in most cases, involve the use of enamels.

These are vitreous pigments coloured with metallic oxides. The enamel powder is added to a suitable printing medium before printing onto the glass. During firing, the medium burns away leaving the enamel bonded permanently to the surface of the glass.

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Precedents

Eighteenth Century origins The precise details of the invention of printing onto glass are unclear and it is likely that several people developed the processes in parallel. However, three petitions for patents made by the Irish engraver John Brooks, between 1751 and 1754, form the basis for the belief that he was one of the main pioneersi. Petitions for Patents were the first stage in obtaining a Patent and were often filed several months before the Patent was granted.

It is this second petition by Brooks, dated 25th of January 1754, that includes the first reference to printing onto glass (Fig 3), 'Sheweth ­ That your petitioner has found out and discovered the art of printing on Enamel, Glass, China and other Ware History Portraits Landskips Foliages Coats of Arms Ciphers Letters Decorations and other Devices'.

The first successful patent for printing onto glass was made by, Henry Baker an enameller of Liverpool in1781ii. In contrast to the Brooks petitions, Baker's patent gives considerable details of both the printing methods and inks used. Early transfer printing involved the application of a print from an engraved plate via a strong tissue paper.

Nineteenth century developments In the 19th century there were a number of patents

relating to ornamenting glass. In particular, the copper plate transfer method was developed for a range of uses.

In 1805 Samuel Anness, a china enameller of London patented his 'Improved

methods of preparing enamel colours'iii. It seems that he developed a palette of colours that could be fired onto glass at lower temperatures than those needed for ceramic, thus avoiding the danger of the glass melting.

As he states,

'The object, aim, and purpose, in the composition of the said colours, beside their respective tints, consists in making them so fusible as to melt or adhere to vessels of glass by a degree of heat not so considerable as to melt or injure the vessels themselves...'iv.

Other 19th Century developments include:

* Acid etching resists. This process was used to print bulk orders for souvenirs and articles for hotels, railways, and shipping etc.

* Acid paste printing. Again, logos for shipping lines and hotels were decorated using this methodv.

* In the late 19th century printing was used to create resists for sandblasting that had been invented in the USA in 1870.

* Nineteenth century examples of printed glass also often feature transparent glass with a black print applied to a panel of white enamel (Fig 5). Figures 6 and 7 show alternative examples of early printing onto glass.

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20th Century developments ­ Screenprinting and transfers. The major development in the industrial use of glass and print in the 20th Century was the introduction of screenprinting. This includes direct screenprinting and screenprinted transfers. Screenprinting as we known it today was first patented in 1907vi.

In the 1930s the English company of Johnson Matthey developed screenprinted transfers for glass. This method allowed for an image to be printed first onto paper and then applied to the ware at a later date. It was then fired on to form a permanent bond. There are two methods by which screen­printing can be used: direct printing and transfer printing (decals). Direct printing involves the ink being applied straight onto the surface of flat glass though a mesh stencil. This approach is commonly used on large­scale architectural projects. Transfer printing involves a special paper with a plastic like coating. When applied to water the printed image can be removed

from the backing paper and applied to the glass. This method is primarily used for smaller scale more detailed imagery. Both approaches require a firing to achieve a permanent bound of ink to glass. These early screenprinted transfers were initially used to label bottles and then during World II to print calibrated scales and other markings for scientific, surgical and other instrumentsvii.

Current industrial applications Tyneside Safety Glass Co Ltd, UK screenprints the black 'obscuration bands' onto the windows for buses and tractors (Figs 8­12).

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Architectural Glass

Amber Hiscott (Fig 13) This work by Amber Hiscott for the Welsh Millennium Centre is typical of the large­scale projects that are adding meaning and decoration as well as function to contemporary building. The scale of such projects necessitates the use of a fabricator to realise the artist's designs through screenprinting.

Philippa Beveridge (Fig 14) Smaller scale projects can be produced in the artists studio like this screen by Beveridge Barcelona based artist, Philippa Beveridge.

Beveridge also exploits the potential of linocuts to great effect. As well as printing directly from lino onto glass she also makes casts from linocuts. When printing silver stain, Beveridge prints straight from a lino block, without a press. She either mixes the silver­stain directly onto the sheet of glass to be used for the final piece or uses a different sheet of glass as a palette. The lino is used to 'take away' the silver­stain from the piece leaving the clear areas, or having pressed it down onto the palette, to print the image on another piece of glass. In this case both methods are used to build up the layered image.

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Sasha Ward (Fig 15) Architectural glass artist Sasha Ward (UK) has been working with enamels fired onto glass for about 18 years. She started using enamels to try and achieve several transparent colours on one piece of glass. When the commissions she undertook became larger, she found that the only way to get a strong transparent colour over a large area was to screenprint the enamel. She now works with a factory (Proto Studios) for large commissions and also screenprints, hand paints and sandblasts smaller works in her own studio.

David Pearl In many glass works light is an important element. The use of light is an aspect less readily available for the printmaker using paper. This example by David Pearl shows an effective use of both transparent and opaque enamels to modulate the light passing through this hospital screen (Fig 16).

This is developed further in this very recent work for the un­completed St Gabriel's church in Toronto (Fig 17). Here, the transmitted light through screenprinted skylights actually creates the artwork. It is the principal church in Ontario (perhaps Canada) for the Passionists ­ a catholic order that celebrates divine revelation in the natural world. It is difficult to get pure brilliant colour with enamels and in the end virtually every colour was fired at a different temperature before firing. Enamels rather than antique glass were used due to scale, expense, safety, and thermal value.

Robert Pratt Machan Robert Pratt Machan has worked across a range of glass making fields including kiln forming and restoration. Like, David Pearl he also exploits light to great effect. This work was short listed for the Bombay Sapphire Prize for excellence and innovation in contemporary glass in 2005 (Fig 18) The back of the mirror is first masked with a computer cut stencil depicting a simplified graphic image of light in an interior. Areas of the mirror backing then removed by sandblasting. This creates the illusion

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of the lights and windows reflected in the mirror and suggests a 'ghost' of an interior that the viewer becomes part of when passing.

This was further developed in this recent piece, which is only a few streets from where we are today, The Quarter Café on Brompton Road (Fig 19). Elements of the image are drawn from the local area; the skylights are from the Brompton Oratory (a large catholic church ­ opposite the restaurant) and the metalwork shown in the windows is taken from the V&A collection (which is 100yards or so down the road).

Julian Stocks (Fig 20) This work by Julian Stocks is another example of the use of printmaking to create stencils. In this case a screenprinted resist is used for acid etched areas. The work was produced for a Glaxo SmithKline research centre. It was conceived in consultation with the scientists and relates to protein structures, the configuration of molecules and individual cells. The lenses applied to the work create again create an interplay with the viewer.

Dan Savage Dan Savage an example of an artist that has made the transition from printmaking to glass. Having studied Fine Art Printmaking at Lancaster University he then joined the MA Glass programme at the University of Sunderland. He developed an approach of screenprinting flat sheets of glass and then combining them together to create works relating to specific sites such as Sunderland's Nissan factory and in this case The National Glass Centre (Fig 21).

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He has gone to set up as an architectural glass artist and this is one of his first commissions for the University of Sunderland's student Gateway (Fig 22).

Kiln Glass Goshka Bialek (Fig 23) Bialek deals with the body in her glass sculpture. The transfer prints show a range of representations of the body from throughout history. During casting, the prints move and distort with the glass. In the finished work the printed figures appear to 'swim' within the glass form.

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Katherine Dowson (Fig 24) Sculptor, Katherine Dowson (UK) also exploits the relationship between cast clear glass and the monochrome graphic image. The work, 'Brian Bricks', consists of twelve printed glass bricks, which when combined form an image of scans of Dowson's brain. The piece can be presented assembled or not. The 'puzzle' involved in constructing the image of the brain relates to Dowson's experience of dyslexia.

Ki Ra Kim (Fig 25) Ki Ra Kim, a pioneer of studio glass in South Korea, creates elegant Morandi like still life's in clear glass. The clarity of the glass is punctuated with monochrome transfers of forests, creating a dialogue between a domestic interior landscape and the external natural world. This interplay reflects Kim's interest in the duality of glass and also hints at 'The dance of ink' found in oriental painting.

Karen La Monte (Fig 26) Karen LaMonte (USA) uses the surface of cast glass hand mirrors as a metaphor for self­knowledge. However, rather than seeing oneself in the surface one is faced with a ghostly image created through photosensitive sandblasting. It is almost as if the mirror is revealing aspects of character or even has a personality of its own.

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Kristin McFarlane (Fig 27) Kristin McFarlane (Australia) combines printed text and image to explore the relationship between communications in the early twentieth century with today. Her grandfather's wartime letters are contrasted with the current text message culture.

Gillian Singer (Fig 28) Gillian Singer (UK) does not enclose the image, as such, but uses layering to great effect. Like McFarlane, she also explores the juxtaposition of the present and past in 'Krakow Windows'. The work is composed of a number of glass boxes containing lights. The fronts of the boxes feature transfers of the windows as they are today. Behind, archive images represent the past. The boxes are presented on the wall and create a 'street' that the viewer can walk down to glimpse the interiors of the houses.

Emily Bellhouse (UK) (Figs 29 & 30) Emily Bellhouse also exploits photography. In this self­portrait the memories manifest in family photographs are used to build an image of a face.

Jeffrey Sarmiento (USA) (Fig 31) Jeffrey Sarmiento has pioneered the use of sandblast resists in the USA to explore issues of language and cultural identity.

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Kevin Petrie (Fig 32) My own early glass and print work developed while a student in this building about 12 years ago utilised the printed hand drawn image. This piece 'Cell of Himself' was inspired by the line, 'And each in the cell of himself is almost convinced of his freedom', from the W H Auden poem, 'In memory of W B Yeats', and also Sylvia Plath's book, 'The Bell Jar'. The glass masks represent our outer selves while the prints show an internal world. The bell jars emphasis that thoughts and feeling are contained inside the envelope of the body. The transfer prints are derived from drawings, applied to flat window glass and fired on. An additional sheet of glass is then fused on top to enclose the print in a separate firing. This is then slumped into a mask shaped plaster/molochite mould in a third firing.

The 'narcissus like' mask form of 'Voyage' makes reference to a boat, a metaphor for the journey through a life. The transfer print shows a shadowy face passing though inside, like a memory. A drawing of a face was printed in black ceramic enamel onto transfer paper. Once dry, this was overprinted with white and when this was dry, another face in black was printed on top. The print

was sandwiched between two sheets of float glass and fused and slumped. In the finished piece both faces can be viewed through the glass. Ceramic enamel was used, as it is more likely than glass enamel to with stand the firing temperatures of around 800 degrees C needed to slump the glass.

Hot Glass Per Sundberg (Fig 33) The use of printmaking by hot glassmakers is relatively rare. However a small number of artists/designers have developed very individual approaches.

Per B Sundberg's association with the Orrefors Kosta Boda Company in Sweden allowed him to experiment and realize new approaches including what he calls the 'Fabula'. This piece can be seen in the Victoria and Albert Museum down the road.

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Cathrine Maske (Norway) (Fig 34) Cathrine Maske, one of Norway's leading designers, has also explored the use of transfers in hot glass for a number of years. In the 'Libelle' series images of endangered insect species are enclosed with in glass vessel forms ­ creating a permanent container to 'preserve' the specimen. Again, the glass creates a lens effect that, in this case, has parallels with looking through a microscope.

Beate Einen (Norway) (Fig 35) Another Norwegian, Beate Einen, uses commercial transfers to create pastiche 'Granny' pieces as she them.

Kathryn Wightman (UK) (Fig 36) Kathryn Wightman has in a very short time developed several diverse and individual bodies of work that combine the printed image with blown glass. One of most successful is the series, 'Forgive me Father for I have sinned' ­ consisting of seven glass vessels, each one relating to one of the 'deadly sins'. This work is unusual in that it combines an easily understandable universal theme with very specific and idiosyncratic references relating to gender, age, nationality and even regionalism. Wightman has literally placed herself in the work by making photographs of herself acting out the seven deadly sins into screen printed transfers. These are printed in black and white and pastiche the graphic story magazines produced for teenage girls. It is clear when one reads the text bubbles that the heroin is from the North of England due to her accent. This adds a refreshing contribution to the long history of glass vessels as bearers of narrative s reflecting contemporary life.

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Shelley James (UK) (Fig 37) Artists from outside of 'the glass world' have also utilised the potential of hot glass with printmaking. Shelley James is an artist in residence at an eye hospital. She has worked with hot glass artist James Maskrey at the University of Sunderland to realize a number of works that explore the mechanisms of sight as well as psychiatric disorders such as bipolar.

Integrated Glass Printing

My own research has explored the possibilities for creating a greater integration of the printed image with the glass form. This has led to the development of 'Integrated Glass Printing', which involves the use of moulds taken from industrial 'flexography' relief printing plates used to print packaging. This approach allows me to combine direct drawing of landscape with celebratory glass objects made from Bullseye frits. The aim is to preserve the experience of specific locations (Fig 38, 39 & 40). Printmaker, Steve Brown (UK) has pursued a related approach by sieving frits through mesh stencils to create complex free standing, lattice­like, glass 'prints' that hint at heraldic motifs.

Another strand of my research has been the re­ evaluation of 'traditional' print approaches. So ­ my final image brings us back to the 18th century examples I showed at the beginning of this

presentation (Fig 41). This is an example of tissue printing from an etching. This approach offers an alternative aesthetic to screenprinting that I feel might have particular relevance to the etchers in the audience today.

That concludes my presentation. I'd like to take this opportunity to invite you to visit us at the Glass and Ceramics department at the University of Sunderland. We would be very happy to show you around. Thank you.

Kevin Petrie 26/10/06

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Notes and References

i Documents held by The National Archives, Kew, UK. The first petition is in SP44 ­ 260 p.513 and the second and third in SP44 ­ 261 p.55 & p.85.

ii Baker's Specification. Ornamenting Glass. Patent no 1296. 1781.

iii Anness's Specification. Enamels for Ornamenting Glass. Patent no 2900. 1805.

iv Ibid. p.2

v Charles Hajdamach describes this and other developments discussed in this section in his book, 'British Glass 1800­1914', Antique Collectors Club, 1991. p. 198.

vi Simon, S. Improvements in or relating to stencils. Patent no 756. 1907.

vii See Freeman, P. 'Lithographic and Screenprinted transfers'. Ceramic Industries Journal. No 92 December, 1983. p.24­27.