Summati
THE
n Weekly USPS Publication Number 16300
T h i s C o m mu n i t y N ew s p a p e r is a publication of Escambia / Santa Rosa Bar Association
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 16, No. 40
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
October 12, 2016
1 Section, 8 Pages
The Soul of Saint Michael’s
An interview with John Wheadon, the artist behind the new and restored stained glass windows at St. Michael’s By Dawn Gresko If eyes are windows to the soul, then it’s no stretch to say actual windows often offer a glimpse into a structure’s soul or history. This is especially true of the new and restored stained glass windows at the Basilica of St. Michael’s, which were completed by the Emil Frei Firm of St. Louis in spring of this year. The firm was responsible for designing and producing the original set of church windows and, although the Bavarian-born Emil Frei was the original stained glass artist, St. Michael’s was able to enlist the help of John Wheadon—another talented artist and craftsman who has worked with the studio in one form or another since 2000. Although Wheadon began with very little experience in stained glass, he learned both craft and design aspects by shadowing artists in the studio who came before him, and today he is responsible for the creation of wonderful pieces like the beautiful stained-glass work at St. Michael’s. Pensacola Magazine spoke with the artist, who revealed his process and penchant for painting and crafting stained glass. Tell us about yourself. I am a St. Louis native who discovered Emil Frei Stained Glass of St. Louis while pursuing a degree in Fine Arts at the University of Dallas. While in school I worked for Emil Frei during summer and winters, mostly as a craftsman for the next two years. I pursued other interests for two years after graduating, but eventually I decided to return to Emil Frei to work full time in 2004. When I began I had very little experience in stained glass. I had drafted and painted some designs for a professor who was a liturgical artist but nothing beyond that. It has been a very enjoyable experience, learning the trade and growing as an artist. I have done less fabricating of the stained glass windows in recent years, but I have spent a lot of time working on the craft side of things in my earlier years. That experience was incredibly valuable. As an artist, it is important to understand the possibilities and limitations of a material in order to become a good designer. Why choose leaded glass windows for the new church windows? We decided to make leaded glass windows for our new designs because we wanted the new windows to be in agreement with the original leaded glass windows and the church architecture. The parish is very proud of St. Michael’s history and we did not think it was appropriate to inject an entirely new material aesthetic. Leaded glass windows are created by cutting shapes out of sheets of stained glass into a pattern that pieces together. Then strips of extruded lead with a profile that looks like a capital letter “H” is nestled
between each piece of glass and soldered together to make a stained glass window. There are many steps in between but those are the most essential parts in the process. How does working with stained glass compare to other mediums for painting? Painting on stained glass is different in lots of ways. Perhaps the most significant way it is different is that I add very little color to the stained glass. Stained glass is colored when it is made; long before I ever add a brush full of paint to it. The painting I do appears very dark because it mostly obscures areas of the glass and prevents light and color from
Restored rose window of Saint Michael the Archangel. the new windows felt like they original design? All of the existing stained could have always been there. What new stained glass glass windows received some degree of restoration (31 work did you complete for St. windows of different shape and Michael’s and what images did size). We are able to maintain they depict? We made six windows in the integrity of the original
work, as well as the work you did for creating new stained glass. The windows at St. Michael’s were in relatively good condition in spite of their age (we did a good job, when we put them together originally). The most noticeable change to the windows is from the window cleaning and the removal of the yellowed Lexan from the outside of the windows. The windows are noticeably brighter and more crystalline. We also repaired detached
“I had a great time designing and painting the windows and working with the good people at St. Michael’s,” said John Wheadon. “If you haven’t been to the church in person, you really should stop by. It’s really hard to duplicate the true appearance of stained glass in a photograph.” emilfrei.com
John Wheadon of Emil Frei & Associates painting Saint Cecilia (a patron saint of music) on the new St. Michael’s stairwell window leading up to the choir loft, designed in the same manner as the original choir loft windows.
passing through. It can be challenging at times to paint on stained glass because the paint does not absorb into the glass as it does in paper or canvas. The paint can be easily wiped away even after it has dried. If I accidentally touch a face or a hand that I am painting I might wipe away hours of work. On the other hand after the paint is kiln fired there is nothing I can do to remove it. So there isn’t a lot of room for mistakes. All that said, this same property has its advantages. Unlike paintings in other mediums, I can create marks by intentionally brushing away paint. So painting on glass is both additive and reductive. What was the total number of windows you restored at the church, and how did you work to maintain the integrity of the
design when restoring stained glass because we are using the same material and techniques as were used when these windows were made. (The techniques we used in restoration are exactly the same because those techniques have been handed down through the generations). When replacing broken pieces from the original handpainted window s, highlyskilled artists in our studio will hand-paint new pieces in the exact same manner. When repairing broken lead joints we solder them back together in same way. We can even tarnish new work to make it look as though no corrections were ever made. It was important to maintain the style and painting techniques of the original windows when fabricating the new windows as well, so that
the tower, two windows in the sacristy, and one in the stairwell up to the choir loft. Each tower window displays a crest from local, regional, or universal church leadership. If you study the windows for a moment you may notice that the design is an abstraction of a boat floating on water. The crest in the middle completes the image that recalls the words of Christ to the Apostles Peter and Andrew that he will make them “fishers of men.” The sacristy windows both depict symbols of faith and hope in the church, the Ark and an Anchor. The stairwell window was designed in the same manner as the original choir loft windows, and it depicts an image of St. Cecilia—a patron saint of music. Guide us through your process for the restoration
reinforcing bars, replaced previous bad repairs of stained glass, and did some repair to the lead where unsupported areas were allowing the windows to bulge. Restoration began in early January and finished in mid April. Our crew of craftsman stayed in Pensacola the entire time while they repaired the windows and replaced the Lexan coverings with hurricane protection glass. The new windows took a little longer. Once the window designs were approved in December of 2015, a lot of steps in the process had to be completed before I was even able to begin painting. The windows took several weeks for artisans to cut into glass. Then I painted the windows full-time from early January of 2015 until May 2016. I had help from many artists and artisans in the studio along the way. As I finished painting, almost immediately someone else would assemble the stained glass panels.