Christopher Ainslie

 

Now in his 80’s, Christopher Ainslie trained at Wimbledon College of Art, and was drawn to study for his Diploma in Design and Stained Glass. In the 1950’s he also studied tapestry design and worked closely with the French tapestry designer, Dom Robert de Chaunac.

Christopher has been engraving glass since 1970’s, becoming a now-longstanding Fellow of the Guild of Glass Engravers. His beautiful glass pieces incorporate Intaglio work; in 2019 Christopher decided to explore and incorporate the centuries old technique of Verre Eglomise into his oeuvre. This involves applying a design and gilding to the rear of the glass surface to produce a mirror finish, and Christopher has extended this skill to bonding patterned fabric onto plate glass, engraved with gold leaf and enhanced by kiln-fired paintwork.

At Primavera, the pieces of work we hold are boldly vibrant, imaginative and otherworldly, showing biblical and classical influences in their inception. As the day progresses, there is interplay between the natural light of the gallery and its effect on the glass, offering the beholder a changing cycle of ways to view each piece.