Sixth Form Visit to Derek Hunt’s Art Studio
We had an A level art trip to Market Harborough, travelling across the country to see how stained-glass windows are produced. We went to the place where our own stained-glass window is being made, crafted by hand, by a talented glazier named Derek Hunt. We learnt about the different techniques involved in the process including scoring, painting, heating, solidifying the paint (with a kiln), moulding with lead and soldering. The glazier had a special studio with masses of equipment, items such as brushes with hairs of a wide range of animals, home built light tables, kilns, hundreds of sheets of glass, and piles of lead used to join window sections together. Each section is cut out and painted individually. The trip overall was remarkably interesting and intriguing and seeing his home-built studio was extremely inspirational for us as A level Art students.
Joshua Roberts 13 HFI
We as Yr13 A level Art had gone on a trip to Market Harborough, Leicestershire, to observe and learn the processes which go into producing stain glass. We visited the workshop of Glazier, Derek Hunt. Mr Hunt is also the man currently responsible for creating the stained-glass window which will be installed later next year to commemorate the school’s 160th Anniversary. Mr Hunt gave an extremely detailed overview about the steps and processes which are used to create a variety of different types of stained glass. This included explanations of techniques such as scoring, soldering, and also the importance of the kiln. The studio in which the visit took place housed an array of designs, prototypes, all one-off pieces which were commissioned from a variety of places like chapels and churches. We also had the opportunity to have a sneak peek at our own stain glass window, which he had made tremendous progress on. It was especially fascinating to finally understand the thought processes which go towards creating a final piece. I felt extremely privileged to visit his home-built studio and this was definitely inspirational for all art students that attended.
Gurgian Sohal 13HFI
On the 30th of September, we had travelled to Leicestershire to go and visit glass artist, Derek Hunt, to view the stained-glass window being made for the 160th anniversary, and to see his process. It was a very interesting experience because it covered areas of glass making I had never thought of before, for example the tools to cut glass precisely and the coating they used to make it weatherproof.
The whole studio was beautiful with all the different projects all being attended to at once, it really made me want to try it! It was an honour to be in the place where a lot of monumental projects once started and to see how it was made was the cherry on top. We even got to see the beginning of the stained-glass window for our school and as the light shone through the coloured glass it made me anticipate what the finished product will look like.
Cody Casals 13 HFI
On Friday the 30th of September we went to Leicestershire to visit Derek Hunt’s studio. I went in not really knowing what to expect, it was in fact very interesting. We were briefed with the process on how he designs the windows in the same way artisans did centuries ago. The process of cutting the glass and painting designs on the pieces were the most fascinating as they involved chemical reactions and time-consuming processes, which I would have never expected. Personally, I found that the most engaging part of the process was the painting side as he could create watercolour splashes or different textures on the glass which I would have never expected to be possible or look as polished as they did. We also saw the unfinished window for the schools 160th anniversary up close, the smaller details incorporated to show the schools development and aspects of modern society that have emerged over time. Overall, the trip was quite eye opening as it had transformed an art form I thought was quite simple into something that is complicated that I would be willing to try one day.
Callum Khan 13 HFI
