The scale of windows we are restoring for Sacred Heart Church in Moline is captured well in these photos with our talented field crew. We are continuing to work hard on this large scale project to restore all of Sacred Heart’s stained glass heritage to its original brilliance.
Restoring Indiana's Stained Glass Trail
Indiana is home to a Stained Glass Trail, of which Bovard has taken part in restoration efforts. Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church is one of the gems on the trail, featuring a complete set of Louise Comfort Tiffany windows. Bovard Studio had the honor of restoring 33 of these stunning works of art for this historical church built in 1906.
Plating for Custom Stained Glass Window
Take a look at the back-side of our custom stained glass window we made for a church in Edisto Island, SC. Different techniques are used specifically on this exterior-facing side. Plating, or the stacking of multiple glass layers has been used to obtain a unique glass color. Obscuring white, which is a thin layer of paint, is used to make the flesh pieces more opaque and eye-catching.
"Miraculous Catch of Fish" Custom Window
A hungry heron adds a regional touch to this custom stained glass window being created for St. Frederick & St. Stephen Church in South Carolina. The catch of fish also features some weird and wonderful species that frequent the coastal waters of South Carolina.
Munich Window Restoration: Sisters of Providence, IN
Look at the richly painted embellishments in this Munich window that we restored. Several stunning stained glass windows were carefully treated by Bovard Studio for Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.
Transom Window Restored
Teddy and Jules work on the perimeter lead for a massive gothic transom stained glass window. This opalescent beauty is being fully restored for First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.
Tiffany Window Restoration in Quincy
The Tiffany windows at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Quincy, IL are a sight to be seen! Bovard Studio fully restored two Tiffany windows and several others after a church fire. Note the attention to texture on the garments and figures. Tiffany utilized the glass qualities to describe form, using herringbone textured glass to give the appearance of feathers for the angel wings and heavily undulating drapery glass for the figure’s clothing.
The windows were removed by a disaster remediation contractor after the church caught fire. After being stored in a warehouse with other church artifacts, the Tiffany Angel window glass was found falling apart in piles across a concrete floor, its weakened condition causing many of the exterior layers of glass to slide from the panel.
It was a challenge to reassemble the window and find proper placement of the plating. Careful study of the intact portions made it possible to return the layers of glass to their original positions on the window. Replacements were carefully chosen from thousands of possible matches and flash glass was acid etched to match existing plating. There was no documentation and very little photography of the windows before removal so the restoration plan was heavily reliant on our extensive Tiffany restoration experience.
All except one of the acid etched pieces was pieced back together and edge glued (though other pieces of glass were also replaced because they were partially or completely missing). The subtle colorations in the robes, background clouds & sky, including the radiance from Christ & descending Holy Spirit dove, were all achieved by selective and precise use of acid to remove color from each layer of colored glass, only leaving it in the locations needed. The result being a full restoration faithful to the techniques of Tiffany.
Painting Faces for Stained Glass: Edisto Island Project
Notice the difference a few layers of shading can make to these faces compared to the preliminary line work. For those unfamiliar with the process of stained glass painting, line work helps to establish the foundation. Note the black fill around most of the figures, which provides a buffer zone from the lead. The buffer prevents the lead overlap from covering important details on the figures.
