The 2009 American Glass Guild Conference
July 16-20, 2009
Buffalo, New York
2009 Conference
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Rachel Phillips
Trusting the Light: The Stained Glass of Evie Hone
Evie Hone, (1894 - 1955), is recognized as one of the most significant stained glass artists of the 20th Century by artists and makers alike. Indeed, she is credited as being the protagonist of the revival of interest in stained glass in England at that time. Hone trained as a painter in the Cubist idiom before turning her attention to stained glass. This background, combined with an abiding love of medieval glass, early Christian art and a deep personal spirituality, resulted in the creation of a series of intense, pulsating, sensitive windows. The majority of her stained glass work exists in Ireland, her homeland, with an additional number in the UK and USA.
Illustrations of Hone’s better known glass work exist; The Crucifixion and Last Supper Window at Eton College Chapel being a good example, but the absence of a comprehensive visual catalogue of her windows leads to difficulty when trying to appreciate her larger body of work in glass. The compilation of such a catalogue currently being undertaken aims to address this problem, with particular attention given to studying Hone’s painting techniques. A series of windows from different sites will be illustrated and discussed along with some of the varied sources of inspiration behind her designs. Her work will also be discussed terms of glass painting techniques and the changing approaches of the artist.
These vary from that described by Lawrence Lee as one that seeks to, ‘. . . leave the glass to express itself, as far as possible, as an abstract of colour and add only enough broad, even crude line and smear to convey the bare bones of the message,’ to one that embraces a softer, whole scale tonal approach with less reliance on the boldness of line. Both techniques allowed Hone, whilst illustrating spiritual truths with established figurative, symbolic and narrative forms, to achieve an equally important self imposed goal, ‘. . . not to represent something but to arrange forms and colours in such a way as will produce an effect of beauty, a living organism with rhythm and balance.’
About Rachel Phillips
Rachel Phillips is a stained glass artist and Programme Director of the BA course in Stained Glass Restoration and Conservation at Swansea Metropolitan University, Wales. She also lectures on its sister programme, the BA course in Architectural Glass.
Her areas of particular interest, in both academic and personal practice, are the historic and contemporary use of glass painting and related surface treatments such as acid-etching. She undertakes new design commissions for public, ecclesiastical and private applications as well as restoration projects.
Recent commissions include:
- - ‘Resurrection’, St Helen’s Catholic Church, Barry - Llys Glas, Gwalia Housing Group, Swansea
- - ‘Five scenes of Christ’s Life,’ Church of St David and St Patrick, Haverfordwest
- - ‘Windows of Compassion’ St Benedict’s Church, Clydach
- - Restoration of Margam Castle Windows, Margam
A member of the British Society of Master Glass Painters, she recently took part in their 2008 exhibition in London and has also exhibited work on a solo and group basis. Her exhibited works are generally autonomous, non-commissioned pieces which serve to nourish and develop personal artistic practice. She is currently researching and compiling a catalogue of the stained glass work of Irish born painter and glass artist, Evie Hone (1894 – 1955).
