Irises at Slade


Irises at Slade stained glass panel in Youghiogheny And Uroboros Art Glass designed by David Kennedy.

Introduction


This is the full-size Irises at Slade panel. The inspiration for this piece came from Vincent Van Gogh’s series of Iris paintings. These were produced at the Saint Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in France. The “Glowing Irises” sold by Sotheby’s in New York for $53.9 million in 1987. Which was, at the time the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction. Alan Bond an Australian businessman was the purchaser. It later transpired that unfortunately, he didn’t have enough money to pay for it. Two years later it was re-sold to the J Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles where it remains to this day.

Irises at Slade Background Story


 
No such drama around my panel I’m happy to say. In fact, I still own it and am hoping to find a place for it one day. I had seen a few stained-glass copies of Van Gogh’s painting on various websites and online platforms. I didn’t want to do a straight copy, it was more the color and composition that I thought would work well.
So I set about drawing and believe me this took some time. The thing with stained glass design is you have to think of every line and shape. This involves moving various elements until all the pieces work in harmony. If you get it wrong, and I have done in the past the medium is so unforgiving. The light shines through your work and highlights every imperfection. On a panel this size 34.5 x 23 inches I wanted everything perfectly aligned. I had done previous studies of Irises and they always work well so for me this was the big one. 
 

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My name is David Kennedy and I create stained glass patterns and designs. These are downloadable PDF files and they are available to buy on this website. If you would like to view the selection please visit the Patterns Store to see the full range. I work in both lead and copper foil which enables me to produce a wide range of different styles. These are skills I have developed over the last 35 years of working with glass.

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