During my visit to an exclusive South Carolina community I took photos of indigenous flora and fauna. A detailed interview with the client suggested many themes to be incorporated, including hunting imagery from historic sources, a representation of the Sheldon parish church ruins and the local plantation building. While trying to distill the concept, I reread Aesop's fables for inspiration on animal themes. My concept for this entryway was ultimately triggered by the fable of the Fox and the Crane. It is a moral tale on hospitality. As the client's have already aptly demonstrated their generosity - hospitality is a lesson they already know well! Therefore I have re-staged the story, with each of their guests receiving the perfect offering. Serving dishes play a prominent role in the story which allowed me the opportunity to depict some beautiful blown glass museum pieces, especially in honor of the client's son.
This fable from Aesop reminded me of several Victorian windows which are some of my favorites. I looked at these museum pieces for inspiration as well:
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Victorian panel with Fox and Egrets |
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I saw this panel in the Victoria & Albert Museum |
PROPOSAL: "The Fable of the Heron & the Fox"
The working title of this design is, "The Fable of the Heron & the Fox". It will be fabricated with mouth blown glass. Techniques including acid etching, glass painting and enameling will be used to create the imagery depicted in this proposal. A sample panel was created and sent to the client to illustrate these processes. The panels will be assembled with lead came and have the appropriate reinforcing bars attached. Installation will be supervised by the artist. The panels will be mounted in front of the existing glass panels and held in place with wood retaining molding. This process is completely reversible. The panels can be removed at a later time should the need arise.
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Simulation of panels installed |
The following is a description of images in the Heron panel (below). Birds including: a Great Blue Heron with a fish, an Egret, a Painted Bunting, and a Cardinal. Vignettes include the Sheldon church ruins and an engraving of a hunter in a Barnegate Bay "Sneakbox" hunting Rail birds. The shotgun leaning on the window sill is a trompe l'oeil visual element inspired by the client's gun collection.
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Heron (left panel) |
The center transom window (below) depicts a pheasant in flight. An historic engraving of a hunting scene appears subtly in the background. A Great Horned Owl and another Painted Bunting appear in the flanking panels (not shown).
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Pheasant with hunting scene (center transom) |
The right panel (below) shows the depiction of the Fox. Also in this panel are a pair of Humming birds, a Goldfinch and the final Painted Bunting. Two hunting scenes are depicted; one on land and one on water. The plantation house is shown in the background beneath spreading Live Oaks. A collection of scrolls appears in the foreground. The center scroll reveals Aesop's story depicted above and the small scroll to the left bears the title of the artwork, date and artist's signature.
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Fox (right panel) |
As I explored in the sample panel, some elements in the design are rendered with opaque pigments. The hanging moss and antique opalescent jewels will become more prominent in the evening in reflected light. I also intend to select glass with an opalescent white flash for the vases, scrolls and shotgun. This will render these elements slightly more substantial and will make them stand out from the other visual elements in this complex composition. A simulation of the panels in reflected light shows the possible transformation of the composition in the evening (below).
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Simulated Evening view |
The final image I will offer in this proposal is a simulation of how the panels will transform the entryway. In this depiction the scale of the imagery becomes apparent. Whenever I design, I try to envision the primary view of the artwork, which at a distance, may at first appear mysterious. The pallet of blues and greens, punctuated with the jewel-like depictions of birds and flowers will make this a very rich tapestry of color which will unfold as the viewer approaches the artwork. What's striking in this view, is the sunlight projected into the room as evidenced by the unaltered pools of cast light on the floor. These will also be transformed by the colored glass.
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Installation view |
Thank you for viewing this proposal. The price and timetable will be made available to the client upon request.
The following sample was also created and supplied to the client. This sample was made at 1:1 scale and measured 14.5" x 10.5".
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| Photographed in transmitted light (day view from interior) |
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| Photographed in reflected light (night view from interior) |
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| sample in proportion to door |
