BY Joseph Cavalieri | February 7, 2010

Medieval stained glass traditionally illustrated stories of the bible.

Most of the population could not read so the images told the story. I incorporate this storytelling aspect into my work by using existing fables, then I add a twits by updating the story. This makes them more exciting for me to work on and in turn more interesting for the viewer. My aim it to take stained glass out of the church and into the home in a seriously and entertaining way. Since my glass panels take about 3 weeks to complete, I need to be working on a design that is continually stimulating on different levels. I intentionally keep some sections of the design unfinished, and will fill in the details at a later time; yet another way to keep my mind creative.

The loose sketch in my last posting has turned into the detailed sketch seen here. The main concept is to have a central illustration of a head under a cake plate. I am ready to search for a fable to work with this concept.

I have a deep appreciation to the works of French Poet Jean de La Fontaine (July 8, 1621 – April 13, 1695). La Fontaine was the most famous French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. We have a connection. He borrowed fables from Aesops, just as I use stained glass techniques from the medieval masters. Most of his fables end in deaths, while I depict death in my “Missing Episode” Simpson’s series. It was not until he was past thirty that his literary career began, while my full time glass career started in my forties. Plus we both have memorable noses.

Above, sketch 2 sits in front of me while I research a story.