A cheerful hedgehog shelters beneath a large leaf, droplets sliding off its surface. The space between its quills and the leaf, nearly impossible to achieve in stained glass, is cut with extraordinary finesse. Warm browns, soft creams and rippled blacks give the creature a quiet radiance, preserving its innocence without slipping into caricature. The bamboo- rimmed frame reinforces the woodland setting, grounding the piece in both nature and nostalgia, a small guardian of gentleness in glass.
Woodland Animals is a rare, whimsical suite of four large stained- glass panels- a hedgehog, squirrel, rabbit and field mouse- each rendered with astonishing precision and childhood- like charm. Though playful at first glance, the craftsmanship is uncompromising: no two adjacent pieces of glass ever share the same shade, every limb and eyelid is cut from individually selected fragments, and the artist’s signature appears in subtly varied shapes in every panel.
Unlike digitally simulated “stained- glass effects,” these works rely on true technical mastery- understanding exactly where glass can be cut, how curves must be broken into facets, how colours shift when light passes through them, and how to retain the innocence of each animal without losing anatomical coherence.
Framed in hand- designed scalloped wood and bamboo- motif borders, the series reveals the artist’s belief that nature’s gentleness is a form of quiet sovereignty. These are not children’s images; they are meditations on purity and presence. Despite their inviting sweetness, each piece commands monumental presence and would anchor a library, atrium, school of the arts, royal children’s suite, or any grand interior seeking stillness and joy.
