Mark Angus
An overview of his church stained glass windows

religious stained glass I’m a bit of a fan of Mark Angus’s church stained glass windows, and not just because he was my teacher back in the 1990’s. Influenced by the German architectural glass artist Johannes Schreiter, his use of lead in his stained glass window panels is innovative and expressive. Rather than the perfunctory use of lead we often see in stained glass windows, Mark Angus’s leads are woven into the fabric of his design like a lively drawn pencil line. His 1984 nave window at Durham Cathedral shows this perfectly. It depicts the Last Supper as seen from above.

stained glass window painting Nothing befits religious stained glass more than the dramatic interplay of light and dark – it seems to embody the very forces of good and evil that underpins the Christian faith. Mark Angus’s 1990’s work exploits this tension, creating a dark mass at the bottom of his stain glass windows that disperses and changes to light - and by implication, hope - at the top. His 1992 Battle of Malden millennium window and 1996 nave window at St John’s church, Cheddon Fitzpaine are very good examples of this. Note too how his use of colour complements the journey from dark to light.

church windows Moving into the 21stC we see the theme of the spiritual journey more clearly in Angus’s church stained glass windows. There’s no stained glass angels here, but instead a repeated motif of a ribbon of colour ascending to a higher plane. Mark Angus’s characteristic leading is still evident, along with his ability to choose handmade glass that captures the essence of his message. Spinkhill Catholic Church stained glass window designs near Sheffield are definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. More recently Angus has made use of his considerable stained glass painting skills in his work – but more of that later!