Johannes Vermeer was an acclaimed 17th century Dutch painter who specialized in home interiors and domestic life, featuring such standstill images as a woman pouring from a vase, or afternoon flowers on the table. The warmth and texture endeared his work the world over and is commonly recognized.

This particular project was created for and installed in the foyer of The Vermeer in Vancouver’s iconic Kitsilano area. The piece pays homage to his painting “The Glass of Wine”, but our window depicts two figures enjoying subtle flirtation over a nice glass of wine. This design has a contemporary feel in the placement of figures and other elements of the features including drapery which are painted. Even though the richness of added paint embellishes the image, we must be sure to let lots of light pour through. We used stippling techniques and shading in sharp tonal values to contrast the light and shade viewed through our jewel-like glass colours.

This window within a window contains fragments of 150 year old painted glass collected during our career in the U.K. In contrast to the warm yellows, ambers and ochres the figures stand prominently and accent the Vermeer Red and Vermeer Blue which are featured throughout this building the piece is destined for.

We also included the Thomas family crest (Thomas Properties) to tie in the crest of the stone exterior. What an exciting project to show the huge range that is possible in our exciting Stained Glass art form!