Notice the images of the honey and honeycomb as well as the locusts, all mentioned in the Bible passage. The design of the locusts on the stained glass is created by sandblasting a particular type of glass which is colour-coated, thereby removing colour only in the area of the design. The dominant colour of the window is purple, the traditional colour for Advent. Appropriately, this is the first window as one enters the Church, and marks the beginning of the stories being told through stained glass within our Sanctuary. Notice the people lining the banks of the river in the upper portion of the design. This window contains an interesting design feature, - the circular inset; the only window to contain this design feature. The inset focuses attention on a particular baptism. The question arises as to who are the people depicted in the inset scene. The answer may lie in noticing the clothing of the person performing the baptism. Refer to the Bible passage, also to verse 9, for further ideas.
In this depiction of Christ calming the seas, the billowy waves of the storm are shown in the upper portion of the window, with the gradual calming of the seas as the eye moves lower. Notice the sail and bow of a boat, the colour of which is in striking contrast to the blues. Through the effective use of different blues, the artist creates the impression of the sea; however, notice that well over half of the glass in this window, as in the other south windows, is clear and colourless. The window also highlights the artist's skilful use of the pebbled blue glass from the former Sanctuary. That glass is not of the brilliance or depth of colour of true stained glass; however, when woven into the design with beautiful samples of glass around it, the old pebbled glass complements the design. Look for the pebbled glass in each of the other five windows on the south and west walls. Notice the jewels of gold colour scattered throughout the design. These JEWELS GIVE HIGHLIGHTS AND "TWINKLE" TO THE DESIGN, CAPTURING SUNLIGHT, AND ARE FOUND IN ALL SIX WINDOWS. the COLOUR of the jewels is complementary (or contrasting) to the dominant colour of the window, and changes as one progresses through the six designs.
At the bottom of this window is the path where some of the seed fell, also the rocky ground in the lower right. Progressing upward, the thorny ground is shown, and lastly, the fertile soil from which the upward rays flow heavenward. The seed is depicted by golden "globs" which are irregular shapes of glass formed by dropping molten glass onto sand. \Notice that some of the seed is among the rocks, and some fell onto the path. An interesting design feature is the manner in which the artist has shown the seed in the middle of the path. This very difficult procedure involves drilling holes in glass sections, then carefully mounting the "seed", taking great care not to crack the surrounding glass due to the heat of soldering. This is the only one of the south windows with this particular design feature.
In the Bible reading, Jesus "began to teach them many things". The figures at the bottom of the window are looking up with outstretched arms (and spirits), listening the Jesus. The loaves, which were round in those times, are shown in the upper left, while the fish can be seen in contrasting colours. The dominant colour of this window is yellow or gold, an appropriate colour for the bread. This window illustrates the artist's clever blending of styles, depicting a traditional Bible scene in modern design. The variety of colourless glass, used in all of the windows, is particularly striking in this window, illustrating the artist's skill at using a wide range of types of colourless glass. Small pieces of pebbled glass from the former John Knox Hall are also visible in this window.
This scene of the last supper contains several interesting design features. The wheat has been sandblasted, a feature also seen the window `John the Baptist` Close inspection reveals pieces of heavy wire protruding from the design. The tablecloth is a masterpiece of sandblasting, indicating a delicate design. Notice the variety of red and orange shades of colour, which are especially beautiful when viewed against the afternoon sun.
The theme of the Resurrection was possibly the greatest challenge for the artist. A human form is shown bent over in the lower right (facing left), then partially standing, then fully upright with arms uplifted. The upright form may also be a depiction of the Ascension, tin the minds of some. The crimson glass is almost entirely the same shade of colour in this window, with different textures (unlike the other windows which typically feature a variety of shades or tones on a colour theme)P. While the crimson glass is particularly striking (especially at a sunset), notice that the figure is created entirely from the use of different textures of white or clear glass. Is this figure the form of Jesus, or is it a depiction of the Resurrection of all humankind? The answer is in the mind of the beholder, illustrating that it is a feature of these window designs to stimulate thought, and to enhance worship.
The colours of blue and white are the clean, crisp colours of winter. The purple of Advent is shown, along with the royal gold of Christmas. The dove signifies the arrival of the Spirit through baptism, and the white poinsettia is the seasonal flower. This is the only window in which the bands do not go to or come from the top of the window, but emanate from the star. One may find significance in this fact. Notice also the jewels or stars near the dominant star. The technique of adding these small stars to the design is similar to the seed on the path in the Parable of the Sower. Lastly, notice that the star has pieces of glass protruding outward, in a 3-dimensional fashion, from its various rays, giving a striking dominance to the star.
While the Easter Lily is the dominant and striking feature of this window, look also for the palm branch, the crown of thorns, and the stylized cross. The purple border is the traditional colour associated with Lent and Easter. Notice in this window, as in most of the other windows, that the texture of each piece of colourless glass is different
The rose is the flower of the season, and the flames of Pentecost, marking the birth of the Christian Church, are shown descending. Trinity Sunday, celebrating God: Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit follows Pentecost, and is depicted by the ancient symbols of three fish and the large intertwined circles. The colour green representing summer growth, forms the border of this window.
The chrysanthemum is the seasonal flower, and various items of the harvest are beautifully created in stained glass. The Reformation is marked in the Fall of the Church calendar, and is represented here by the open Bible (with alpha and omega) indicating the giving of the Scriptures to the people. Notice the tue-to-life nature of the glass used to depict the stalk and leaves of the corn. Some of the leaves near the flower show veins (sandblasted), and some are made of beautiful mottled glass. Stare, for a moment, at the chrysanthemum to see the "life" in which the artist has given to the flower.
St. Mark's Presbyterian Church
1 Greenland Road, North York, ON M3C 1N1 (416) 444-3471
This page was last updated: January 29, 2012
Stained Glass Windows
The South Windows
In preparation for the construction of St. Mark's Court, the former John Knox Hall was demolished. Some of the coloured glass was preserved, to be used in a fitting tribute to all those who helped to build and establish St. Mark's over the years.
The South Windows (including the two windows at the front of the Sanctuary) were the first stained glass windows at St. Mark's, installed on Palm Sunday, 1991. They were designed to permit as much natural light as possible (approximately 75 % of the glass is colourless) while affording some privacy from public areas and enhancing the beauty of our place of worship. Each window depicts a theme from St. Mark's gospel. Within each window is shown the scripture passage upon which that window design was based. It was the artist's hope that members of the congregation would consult the scripture passage while admiring the windows. The beauty of the windows changes with changing light and weather conditions. It is for this reason that most artists who work with stained glass prefer natural lighting.
All of the South Windows share several common elements of design. Each has a single dominant colour with one complimentary colour. The dominant window colours are taken from the spectrum (as in a rainbow): red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. In addition the artist has skillfully used the dominant colour to harmonize with the theme of the window: violet being the advent window, blue relates to water, green to plant, yellow to loaves of bread, orange to wheat, and red to the resurrection.
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The North Windows
With the construction of the new Christian Education Wing in 1991, St. Mark's lost the use of the north windows. A challenge was issued to the artist to create a series of windows with designs complementary to the south windows, but using artificial light.
One of the greatest problems in using artificial light is its "dead" property, being constant in intensity an devoid of change. Stained glass in front of natural light can sparkle and show moods depending on the time of day and the weather, but artificial light robs stained glass of its depth and true beauty.
In order to overcome this problem, the artist created, for St. Mark's , a unique 3-dimensional glass sculpture. Because one layer is closer to the observer than the other layer, there is a life and movement to the design as the observer moves. To the best of our knowledge, the artist wins the creator of this technique, and St. Mark's is the first Church with such windows.
On the south side, there had been a concern about not blocking the entry of natural light. However, on the north side, the artist was able to use a higher percentage of coloured glass. The dominant colours tend to be those of the seasons, in keeping with the theme.
The title of the four north windows is "Seasons". The design is the artist's blending of our temporal seasons with the Church seasons. Notice the commonality of design features; in particular, the banks or threads as discussed earlier with the south windows. Each window has a dominant colour stripe down one side, setting the tone for that window, as well as a flower which typifies that season. A small design feature is also found in each window, near the Bible passage quoted. Look for the bird, the butterfly, the leaf, and St. Mark's angel.
Another common element of design is the vertical bands or threads in each window. The significance of the bands is left to the beholder: some see them as a sign of worship pointing upward, some see them as a depiction of God's power coming downward, still others have said they see them as a sign of infinity.
Click on each window to learn more about that particular design
Spring
Fall
Summer
Winter
Christ Calms the Sea
John the Baptist
The Parable of the Sower
The Miracle of Loaves and Fishes
The Last Supper
The Resurrection
