MOUNT FUJI - THE FOUR SEASONS

An award winning piece of stained glass artistry awarded by the City & Guilds Institute of London. This beautiful piece of work depicts the four seasons of Mount Fuji, Japan. Designed and constructed on my City & Guilds course and finished off in a light box.

The design features the beautiful Mount Fuji in all here splendor, adorned with the correct Japanese character to the corresponding season. Each season has been designed so that the observer is viewing Mount Fuji at exactly the same spot. So what can you see from each season? From the top working down the panel, The snow cap upon Mount Fuji alters according to the season. Differrent colors can seen in each season, from the sky, clouds, mountains, lake, the sun, and Mount Fuji herself. The sun has a different size in each season, not only that, the actual sun has not been copper foiled and soldered in to postion. As each pannel was finished, a hole was left for each sun position, the sun was carefully cut out in glass and then ground so fine that it is a "push fit" joint.

As Japan is know as, "The Land of the Rising Sun," even this has been taken into consideration and worked in to the design, by the postion and height of the rising sun. The Japanese characters have been hand painted and again worked into the desgn with a hint of Japanese calligraphy. These characters were originally designed, to be cut and copper foiled into the glass panel, but the pieces of glass were too small. Another idea was to fuse them.

The light box again was designed and constructed by myself. The box consisted of stained and varnished pine wood, a decorative facing borded, and a light socket and bulb carefully postioned behind the sun in each panel. On top of the box, and out of sight is a dimmer switch, and a series of vent holes to let the heat escape. This dimmer switch gives the owner, to select the required light and ambience for the mood of a dining room, for example.

A beautiful example of, a fusion of delicate, beauty and Japanese art, with the bright and beautiful appeal of stained glass artistry.

                                                                           PRIVATELY OWEND