Frank Lloyd Wright Stained Glass Contributions
The Beautiful Design Legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright
The Frank Lloyd Wright name probably makes you think of lovely homes from the ’50s with lovely straight lines and bold colors but perhaps not stained glass windows. But, as it turns out. Frank Lloyd Wright was a stained glass artist and a prolific one at that. Although he is most known for his architectural feats and the originator of the “Mid-century Modern” style, his design sense also spanned into various mediums– like stained glass.
Frank Lloyd Wright The Stained Glass Artist
Frank Lloyd Wright accomplished quite a bit in his 70-year design career. Not only did he make a profoundly lasting mark on the American design scape but also worked wonders with stained glass too. All of his designs, stained glass, architectural and otherwise, are still relevant today almost 100 years later. But his stained glass work is simply inspired–and prolific as well–he designed well over 4,000 leaded glass windows and doors for over 150 of his buildings.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Stained Glass Style
Wright created stained glass not just for windows but for doors, skylights, backlit ceiling panels, table lamps, and wall sconces too. The reason for his incredible success in the stained glass arena was that he bucked tradition. He didn’t think of stained glass as lead and glass but rather referred to them as “light screens”. He likened them to Japanese shoji screens. This is apparent in his work since he arranged his windows in bands–not unlike shoji screens. Wright also used zinc-or copper-plated came configuration, while all others of the time were still using traditional lead. This allowed him to create geometric representations of natural elements such as plants, trees, flowers, grass and more. His color use was playful but elegant and he was never afraid to mix of solid-colored, iridescent and clear glass. He also had a hallmark style of gold leaf sandwiched between two thin pieces of clear glass. Probably one of his most notable touches was– setting some pieces of his stained glass at an angle. This greatly enhanced the reflective qualities of the glass pieces in his work. When light strikes his angled glass, different colors will appear depending on the angle of the sun at that time of day. It was this creativity and thorough attention to the complex characters of reflected light that really set his windows apart and continues to inspire awe today!
Here at Colorado Springs Stained Glass, we make lovely stained glass in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright, paying attention to the clean lines and refraction of light. If you want to learn more about Frank Lloyd Wright style stained glass windows for your Colorado Springs home, contact us today for a free design consultation!