By Pepper Parr
June 26th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
Everyone knows what stained glass is.
A rich example of the stained glass art form.
Most people relate it to churches where stained glass has been around for centuries.
The Rose window at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, seen as the best example of this art form. It survived the 2019 fire that destroyed much of the Cathedral.
One format it has taken in the past is the rose window – which is basically a round widow.
Cathedrals throughout Europe and the United Kingdom have some truly unique rose window examples. The work at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris that was heavily damaged during the 2019 fire wasn’t destroyed; a miracle in the eyes of many Catholics.
Siobhan Lynch
Siobhan Lynch, a stained glass artist who has been working with the medium for 20 years is part of what originally was a five member group that met for dinner once a month to trade ideas and organize exhibits.
They would research possibilities and, through a process of happenstance more than anything, found themselves taking an interest in and have done some very impressive work. The most recent joint production: The Rose Window: Revisited and Reimagined.
The group describe themselves is as a Collective that has a very determined entrepreneurial streak. While the work they do is an art form that has a long, proud and noble history stained glass was always something that was seen in churches.
Organized is as the Artistic Group of Glass (ACOG) they created a new market and found that there were people who lived in older homes and wanted some stained glass in their houses.
Individually the members of the group work on commissioned assignments and say they do very well. Teresa Seaton has managed to convince people that Stained Glass can and should be used in presentations the city makes. She did the work on the “Key to the City” that Burlington presents to people from time to time; she also did the awards that were given out when the Burlington’s Best was part of the way the city recognized individual efforts.
Perhaps the most impressive store front in the city; Teresa Seaton displays her own work and that of other stained glass artists.
Seaton is a blend of “this is business” and an artist who is known for the creativity of her work. Her studio, a stones throw from the Royal Botanical Gardens (stones throw is perhaps not the best phrase to describe where her studio is located).
She can be found there when people are on art tours that she works at organizing.
The finished work will be on display – after that no one knows where it will go. In some public institution? From the left Joe Highly and Siobhan Lynch with Teresa Seaton and John Highley on the right. Each applied their unique skill set and interpretation to the work.
Siobhan Lynch is Irish; she returns to the land that are her cultural roots every three or four years. She is a dancer, teaches and a founding member of the AGOC Collective.
What this group has done is brought rose windows back into fashion as an art form and then taken the medium in a new direction.
The ACOG group is changing the way rose window stained glass designs are used – the reimagining has taken the art form in a new direction.
The current window, that is getting some much deserved attention, was a collective effort. Each person did their part. Window: Revisited and Reimagined
Joe Speck and John Highley worked on specific parts of the rose window that is on display now. It was featured at an opening last week at the Paul Elia Gallery in Hamilton
John Martin was a part of the group but moved on when he was given a long term contract with the company that is renovating the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa. That project created work for stone masons, another art form that was disappearing.
The conviction and business acumen of this group has resulted in Burlington being ground zero for stained glass in Ontario.
Siobhan has found herself wanting to paint on glass, moving away for a while from putting small pieces of coloured glass together creating an image that changes the mood of the room in which it is displayed.
