UK STAINED GLASS NEWS in 2010
A VISIT TO ALKMAAR, HOLLAND in 1999
by Ed Potterton
While in Holland I heard about this interesting looking work shop in Alkmaar (about 30 minutes from Amsterdam by Intercity express).
Intrigued, I nipped up there camera in hand. The thought was to wander around the town, take a few photographs for the e-zine, and find the work shop if I could.
At first I was somewhat disappointed. In Holland, most town centre homes seem to have lost their stained glass. These pictures are typical of much of what is left.
When I found the workshoop I was looking for, what a fantastic place it turned out to be. Roel (the owner) made me very welcome indeed and showed me round everywhere. The workshop was adorned with all these rebuilt windows shown here, and he had a huge stock of new and second hand glass.
He asked me where he can get some traditionally made English muffle. He had the new American (Wissmach) English muffle, and some hand made
English muffle. Fantastic glass! Anybody know the answer?
He had a rebuild on the bench so we got talking about prices and the market place. Its no better there than here I am afraid. There is
work, but his prices did not seem any better than they are here in Norfolk. It seems that if you are a top studio, here or over there, its OK, whereas most smaller studios see the market as depressed.
He gave me permission to photograph the windows in his workshop. What
a welcome, and what splendid work he is doing. He was rebuilding
a panel on his bench, and I would defy the average artist to have sorted
the new glass from the old!
Then I went wandering again:
Typical of much of Holland's stained glass, the window (left) was over a smart, modern bath room shop's door way. The proprietor told me that he had restored the shop front, which had been modernised without taste by his father after the war. The new windows, a set of six, were made by Roel.
Click here for Roel's web site.
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