Pandy Mill Glass Studio
Pandy Mill is a glass studio where Jan Singleton makes stained glass and fused glass panels to commission all over UK.
Adjoining the gallery, where Jan displays finished art work, is the glass studio where Jan designs and creates her glasswork.
Jan is working in her studio most days of the week.
You are welcome to make an appointment any time if you are interested in seeing Jan's glass work or talking about commissioning a special piece.
You will be able to see how Jan creates two different styles of glass art - contemporary stained glass and glass fusion.
If you are there at the right time you might see the fused glass as it emerges from the kiln!
Jan Singleton is a glass artist and designer specialising
in contemporary stained glass to commission and unique fused glass panels for both display and
use, and
larger scale architectural pieces that form an integral part of a building or
garden.
She
has been studying art in one form or another since 1974. Learning is an ongoing process.
Jan has lived in The
In
1992 Jan started to explore
the world of glass fusion when studying under Volker Stagge at KSO-GOBI in
Having
returned to the
Pandy Mill Glass Studio, Pandy, Ceiriog Valley LL20 7NT.
'The Spotted Flycatcher'
The Spotted Flycatcher is a 'red alert' bird. In this private commission, the client was happy to have this bird nesting in her garden and wanted the window to represent that.
The colour palette for the glass I use is enormous. There is such a wealth of tones and hue. Shades weave and, blend in and out of each glass sheet.
You may be surprised to learn that there are 390,238 unique colours in this ' Spotted Flycatcher' window.
Also, see the difference between the glass laying down on the template table and then when it is lifted with transmitted light. Amazing!
"Jan produces works of art in glass that combine both inherent beauty in their own right as well as elegance in their technical solution of an interior or exterior design requirement".
Open any time by appointment.
Casual visitors welcome.
Jan lives and works at Pandy Mill. If she is there, she will open up for you :)
For further examples of Jan Singleton's work see stained glass or fused glass
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Glass Art Information
Jan specialises in two main techniques:
Cold Glass - Stained Glass ('glass-in-copper'/'Tiffany' technique)
This technique is often referred to as 'Tiffany' technique after the American artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, who introduced this technique at the turn of the 20th century. Similar to the ‘glass-in-lead’ technique you traditionally see in churches, but instead of lead around the glass edge, there is copper foil and lead solder. The copper and solder line can hold the panel strong and certainly allows you to be more detailed, working with smaller pieces.
With a contemporary design, this technique can look fantastic. Jan designs in an abstract form and each commission is unique.
The glass itself comes in a wealth of colours and a wide variety of textures, both opaque and transparent. There is an amazing selection available, much of it beautifully creative in its own right, and Jan very much enjoys the search for 'the right piece'. The glass Jan uses is made in either Germany or USA. Jan likes to use a mixture of opaque and transparent, depending on how much light there is. If the light is limited, for instance, an edge lit LED panel can be used behind the glass.
Hot Glass - Fusion Technique
Jans second technique is glass fusion. Glass layers fuse in a kiln reaching temperatures of 850 degrees Celsius. Jan can make her own unique glass panels by adding coloured crushed glass and other interesting materials between the fused layers. Glass fused panels are strong and heavy, suitable for architectural purposes in big projects.
Jan enjoys making glass fused panels for a wall. Just as you would hang a painting, why not hang a glass panel?
When working with a kiln you have to follow strict technical rules. Learning the way the oven temperatures will affect the glass and colour is both fascinating and frustrating. You may only fuse glass pieces that are compatible with each other. It is not possible to mix different glasses together due to their different rates of expansion. If you do, it will crack in the firing process. The firing process is quite long and has to be programmed carefully. Too quick an ascent of temperature or indeed descent, will result in anything from a tiny crack in your work to a massive explosion in your oven, neither of which is desirable ! When a creation is very big or thick in diameter, it has been known for them to be fired in a very slow oven for anything up to 8 weeks!! Although this technique sounds very technical, there is a large artistic element to play as well. The panels can be used in many different but interesting ways.
Zooming in on fused glass provides beautiful images.
The panels can be supported in any number of ways – bricks, cement or within an artistic steel/wood structure. These glass panels can create the required dividing wall but also have a piece of art work at the same time – FUNCTIONAL ART !