Client name withheld by request
"An Evolution of Flight"
7 @ 2'-9" by 4'-8" each
German, French & Domestic Mouthblown Glass; Machine- and Hand-rolled Glass; Hand-pressed lenses; Lead; Solder.
Dominick Hart, Dallas, TX, Architect
Jackie Jackson, Dallas, TX, Interior Designer
I first met this client in 1985 when commissioned to make the stained glass windows to convert the front porch of the 1940's residence they were remodeling into a sun room. I had couldnÕt have imagined at that time that fifteen years later I would be asked to create windows for a post modern addition to the same residence. This new addition adds library and gallery space for a growing art collection and a master bedroom suite. Thanks to the narrow lots in the area, an otherwise schizophrenic mixture of architectural styles might have been jarring. As it is, the transition happens surprisingly subtly during oneÕs transit from the front entrance to the new addition in the back. Both exteriors are never visible at one time.
In order to further integrate these disparate styles, the design of the earlier sunroom windows was revisited. Their design relied on an achromatic glass pallet that echoed the traditional, round-topped fenestration of the windows at the front of the house. In "An Evolution of Flight" the lone window located around the corner from from the other six recalls the earlier design and resonates with oneÕs previous experience of the front windows upon entering. However, this window is now seen to germinate from its more static prior incarnation into a more lyrical, whimsical idea that flows across the upper level windows of the new addition.
By relying once again on an achromatic palette of clear, gray and white glasses with lenses, "An Evolution of Flight" retains interest and animation at all times of day and night whether viewed from the interior or from outside. Transparency and absence of color in the stained glass allow it to coexist with the contemporary art collection inside without competing.
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