Oceanography
This is a pair of windows I made for a professor of oceanography. We found lots of cool images of under- water critters, and I translated the images, some realistically and some less so, onto the glass using the techniques of sandblasting and high-fire glass painting. The panels were constructed using lead came and were mounted in black painted poplar frames. They are hanging in front of kitchen windows which are still functional. These panels are one of a kind and were made by hand by me.
Style
- kitchen
Material
- glass
Finish
- painted
- black
Category
- Paintings
Meet the Maker
Kate Gakenheimer
Kate Gakenheimer Stained Glass
I am a stained glass artist living and working in Cambridge, MA. I have a BA in Art History, focusing on architecture, and a certificate from the North Bennet Street School where I studied Preservation Carpentry. I apprenticed at Daniel Maher Stained Glass where we did lots of big scale restoration projects and worked on many historically important windows including ones by Tiffany and LaFarge. Ten years ago I started my own business and have done many commissions for private art collections, residences and businesses.
The inspiration for my stained glass panels has come mostly from fabrics and textiles; I love dense and complicated patterns and vintage Japanese kimonos, but also vintage fabrics from France, Turkey and all over the world. I’m also inspired by tiny, complex Ukrainian Easter eggs and the artwork of turn of the century botanical artist Ernst Haeckel. He was able to take natural forms and turn them into jewels, a sea urchin into a Fabrige egg.
I am always trying to cram as many colors and designs as possible into each of my panels, and sandblasting, glass painting, and double layering allows me to decorate each piece of glass beyond its innate color. Each panel is constructed using traditional lead came.