Painting with Glass - Holy Frit
My wife is a glass artist and that is why I know what glass frit is. A recent documentary called “Holy Frit”, shares the art of glass frit and demonstrates how it is expanding the possibilities for stained glass.
Glass frit is crushed glass that is fused together and combined with other sheets of glass in a kiln. It is a technique that can add a painterly quality to glass with pure vibrant colors. Glass used in glass fusing has to have the same melting points. If two different colors of glass are not compatible with the same melting point, then the glass will crack when it cools to room temperature.
The documentary, “Holy Frit” details the story of a traditional stained glass company pursuing a an ambitious project for creating the largest stained glass window of it’s kind for a church in Kansas. Their technique would not be traditional, but instead it would be using techniques of layering fuseable glass and glass frit. The visionary artist to propose this project is Tim Carey . Although trained as a figurative painter, he was the lead artist for Judson Stained Glass Studio. Together with a unique team of artist and crafts people they would embark on a journey to create something that had never be been done before. They embodied the artistic mindset of experimentation by pushing the limits of a new glass art technique.
Tim Carey asked fused glass maestro, Narcissus Quagliata to help him and his team through their journey of transformation. Narcissus inspires the team and challenges them to go beyond their limits. Small failures become the learnings they need to finish the project. As an artist, Tim finds new expression and grows as an artist. Judson Studios is given new life beyond it’s traditional stained glass roots. The movie documents the many challenges of the ambitious project, ranging from creative, personal and logistical. The documentary captures the real time evolution of the project and the people on the team.
The documentary is now available as a digital rental or purchase. It had a limited “remote” release during the pandemic and in the Fall of 2023, it has a formal release in theaters. My wife and I saw it at a film festival in Alexandria Virginia where we were fortunate to have a small panel of experts in the field answer questions from the audience. These experts are neighbors of ours and they own a unique establishment called Weisser Glass . Beyond their retail operation, they offer many classes and share in a passion for glass art.
Painting on glass is not new and you can find paintings on glass in traditional church windows but the colors are muted because of the opaque enamels used. More modern artist, like Marc Chagall explored other methods of painting with acid on glass. His technique was an improvement from the traditional technique, but it still had a limited color palette. Since that time, technological developments in glass fusing have allowed for a much more painterly quality to be possible. Today, you can see Tim Carey and Narcissus setting new standards with the technique, pushing boundaries of glass art with both abstract and representational art.
Official Website for the Documentary
Interview with Justin Monroe and Tim Carey
A behind the scenes look from the director Justin Monroe and Tim Cary.
Article about Tim Carey’s artistic career
https://www.palosverdespulse.com/blog/holyfrit
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Tim Carey Studio
Narcissus Quagliata
Artist website displaying the many artistic accomplishments of Narcissus Quagliata. He is a glass artist pioneer for leveraging the new technologies found in Bullseye Fused Glass to create new artistic expressions.
Other Origins
Several related links about the stained glass works of Marc Chagall in which he uses a combination of black enamel and acid etching of the glass to create subtle gradations.
https://www.lucasglassdesign.com/blog/2018/7/7/69v9yrhpdug8m6hov5kk18pbbawhk5?format=amp
https://www.dailyartmagazine.com/chagalls-stained-windows/
https://hudsonvalley.org/article/union-church-of-pocantico-hills-virtual-tour/
Picasso and Glass Art
Picasso is quoted as saying “a new art is born” in reference to a glass mosaic technique called Gemmaux / Gemmail. Other artist at the time also experimented with the technique including Cocteau and Braque. The medium likely had too many technical obstacles at the time to see it’s full potential.
If you have 1 million dollars, maybe you might want to consider Picasso’s Gemmaux of Notre Dame.