Stained Glass Art Experts for Houston
Like many types of art forms, stained glass needs to be restored from time to time to combat the inevitable degradation as time takes its toll. There are two specific ways to properly restore stained glass art–true to the artist’s intent and true to the original technique. Which avenue you go with depends on your overarching goals for the restoration of stained glass in your Houston home, church or commercial space. Whichever way you choose to have your piece of stained glass art restored is perfectly acceptable aesthetically and will have your stained glass piece looking fantastic again. Below we have gone into detail about both restoration types.
Stained Glass Restoration True to the Original Artist’s Intent
When we restore stained glass here at Houston Stained Glass we always utilize our well-trained stained glass experts. We have them analyze the original stained glass intent in detail. This means looking at the style of the time of creation, understanding the materials of the time and analyzing historical context. When we mimic the artist’s intent we use modern techniques to replicate the exact style of your stained glass artwork as closely as possible to that of the original artist. This is the most frequent type of restoration we do. This is because new materials are easier to source, better for making the piece durable and are virtually indistinguishable from those used at the time in many cases. However, the appearance could be a bit different and under scrutiny, these changes could become apparent.
Stained Glass Restoration True to the Original Artist’s Technique
When we do restorations that stay true to the original artist’s exact styles and techniques–we do not stray from materials and techniques used by the artist at the time. It is more difficult and more expensive and sometimes may be impossible to accomplish. Why? For example, let’s look at Tiffany’s stained glass. To restore a tiffany piece, and stay true to the very unique Tiffany process of blending glasses, we would need to source glass from another TIffany piece–since this technique is impossible to mimic. Therefore, the only authentic way to restore a piece of historical Tiffany stained glass–is by finding and using another piece of antique Tiffany stained glass. This could be difficult and sometimes impossible. When we attempt this we are always in close communication with our clients.
Stained Houston for Authentic Stained Glass Restoration
No matter what type of restoration you choose for your stained glass art piece, we have many skilled stained glass art restorers who have advanced degrees in restoration. They value keeping the intent and style of the original stained glass and always understand the original context of the piece. We don’t try to place this piece of stained glass in time in history but rather attempt to restore it by staying as true as possible to the original artist’s intent. We are happy to work with you on an authentic restoration using materials that are true to the era or close to the original era but true to the intent.
Contact us for more information and to discuss your stained glass art piece restoration today.
Martin Faith
Martin Faith is the founder and owner of Houston Stained Glass. Martin has been cultivating his skills as a stained glass artisan for over 30 years, passing on his knowledge and expertise to his team so that, together, they can create the most beautiful stained glass windows the world has ever seen. Martin's initial education in the trade took place in Glasgow, Scotland, the stained glass capitol of the world. He is an expert in the history of stained glass, its evolution, methods for conservation, and its many different styles and forms, including art deco, prairie, Greene & Greene, art nouveau, Mackintosh, floral, mission, beveled, and contemporary. Over the years, Martin's company has produced thousands of stained glass windows, which includes custom creations made for homes, churches, and commercial buildings located all throughout the Houston metro area.
