Through the Looking Glass
20 October 2011
New World decorative glass
Lisa McClean and her team of 10 artists have dealt with everything from the highly unusual to the deeply challenging at New World's decorative glass studio in Ballymena, Northern Ireland.
From images with a religious theme to more rural scenes with a farm and cows, the specialist decorative glass team hasn't been fazed yet.
“About 20% of what we do is bespoke and the requests we get can vary from peoples' pets to the family boat,” says Lisa who, after 15 years takes everything in her stride.
Many of the picture-led pieces end up as feature windows on staircases, conservatories, French doors or kitchen windows. But the studio also does a lot of bespoke work for sidelights on entrance systems too.
Custom-designs are yet another of New World's tailor-made services. As manufacturers of the most advanced door entrance systems on the market, the company also offers its all-GRP composite doorsets in bespoke colours as well as its standard brochure colours.
“People increasingly want their home to be that bit more individual and not be confined to the colours or designs in the order book,” said Lisa. “We're able to handle everything from slight tweaks on the brochure designs to a completely bespoke design.”
Whether it's contemporary or traditional, in coloured or sandblasted glass, the studio is able to handle pretty much anything thrown its way.
Lisa herself has been on a course to learn the traditional craft of stained glass work although the studio itself specialises in adhesive or resin leads to keep costs at an affordable level.
Both involve working with a single piece of glass, the adhesive lead being used with more structured images and the resin work where a looser but more detailed finish is needed. Once the lead outline has been applied, the glass can then be coloured to complete the image.
Most orders come through installers looking to offer their own clients a more individual and personal service – but local consumers regularly go direct to the studio in person.
“Often we base the design on a photograph that is sent in and from this we produce a computer generated template to work to,” said Lisa who, along with two other artists, looks after the bespoke work. “It's incredibly varied and could include anything from picture pieces in coloured glass to images on sandblasted glass to fused tiles or bevelled glass work,” she said.
Her own most challenging project involved a bevel design - inthis particular case on both sides of the glass. ''It meant that both sides had to exactly line up'' said Lisa ''and there were some 60 bevels on it!
With hundreds of different pieces and designs passing through the studio each week, there's very little in the way of subject matter that the team hasn't seen since it was first established 15 years ago.
Back then roses were an extremely popular choice. Today there is more call for contemporary designs with fused tile work.
“Although the majority of work we do in the studio is to standard brochure designs and colours, it is the bespoke work that keeps us challenged,” said Lisa. “It is obviously more time consuming but, as with any creative work, the reward is when you get feedback from people saying how delighted they are with the finished piece.”
It's amazing what can be done when you step through the looking glass!