Explorations in Stained Glass, Mosaic, Wood and Stone
I wrote about the project in one of my imaginary interviews with Shanton Miers
Shanton Miers: You were saying something about the launch of the project?
Johannes: Ah yes – I try not to turn down a challenge; I don’t think I lack imagination but in this case I completely lacked foresight.
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Through a stone company in Dorset, I ordered a 6ft by 2ft by 1ft lump of Kilkenny stone from Ireland, so called Celtic Stone. The delivery lorry refused to drive up the track, a kindly neighbouring farmer accommodated the block in his yard, then brought it over with one of those massive tractors. I had […]
The Grail Fountain was my first sculpture commission after leaving college in 1978. It was created for the Rowan Tree Shop and Café in Bristol in support of the new Steiner School. I did some relandscaping and building work on the site and started work on the Fountain in the summer of 1982. I made […]
In between my building, decorating and maintenance activities, I began to work on the Mourne Grange windows. My Father came over from Ireland and stayed for a while. We went and bought stained glass together from a place in Gloucester. Stained glass was going through a trendy popular faze, and there were lots of companies […]
The Zodiac Windows were commissioned by Ruskin Mill in 2005 for the Glass House Centre in Stourbridge. This had been Stewart Crystal Country and when they packed up, Ruskin Mill moved in. The windows represent a three-foldness of Cosmos, Elements and Man. As well as being an all-encompassing theme, it is an actual realisation of […]
Thrown into the middle of my marble bangings was another big commission, the Morton-in-the-Marsh lamps. Why I got short-listed for this job I have no I idea, It was my only significant foray into the ‘normal’ world, but like everything I’ve done had no direct follow-ons. The offices of the Cotswold District Council were being […]
And then in the summer of 2007, came the big one, the juicy main course for which everything else in my life had been nothing but a starter. Aonghus’ empire had reached Sheffield, formerly famous for its steel works and latterly for the ‘Full Monty’ film. It was beginning to rise again after the destruction […]