A Quilt-Style Set of Three on Clinton
The first time I saw this lovely thing, it didn’t look very lovely. In terms of damage and neglect, this one had been through a lot.
It had been overpainted, twice, first with old-style heavy enamel, maybe in the 1960s, and then with acrylic house paint maybe thirty years later. Only then was it shattered and consigned to the basement. The shatter injury is an impact from outside, so probably a ball.
I was a bit scared to try to fix this thing, and its two side companions. There were two colour matches to be done once it was clean, but would it even come clean?
The two side panels were simpler, and in better shape. This was early in my practice, so these very dirty pieces were a challenge. But, as I often tell myself, glass loves to be clean.
It took several stages, and some learning on my part, but then it came clean.
The dirtier they are, the more fun it is to see them clean. And these ones, particularly the side panels, were sweetheart windows, beautifully cut with no chips or nibbles.
The colour matching went very well, which was lucky. The eye compensates for small differences. In this case, the new glass all but disappeared.
I was still left with another issue. I had measured and re-measured that curve. Renovations had changed it, just a bit. This windows was read to go back, but it wouldn’t fit.
In the end, I added a fin of black on each side. This was designed to make the difference between the old frame and the new (wider) frame disappear in practice. I also extended the bottom edge, just a bit, also in black. The old window floats in a slightly different space, but the eye ignores this.
It’s wonderful to see it back in place. This thing was a ruin in a basement for thirty years.
For more of my work, please see Restorations.