Sherif Amin

Stained Glass Interiors
Stained Glass Interiors was founded by Sherif Amin, who studied at the Chelsea School of Art and The Architectural Association in London He was apprenticed at the young age of 14 with the highly respected Flemish Stained Glass artist Rudy Bellemans amidst the beautiful surroundings of the Sierra Bermeja mountains in southern Spain. As a result of Sherif's passion and dedication to this refined art, he soon established an international reputation and was presented to HRH Prince Charles and Nelson Mandela. His clients include royalty, many celebrities, A prime minister and many more.

"I am passionate about stained glass for many reasons. One would be hard pressed, not to be stirred by the breath taking windows of Chartres, Notre Dame or Canterbury Cathedral as I was at the age of 14."

Even though tastes have changed the techniques remain almost the same. Learning how to make stained glass is not so difficult. But making a beautiful one takes a lot of skill and experience. Once a design is chosen, a full size scale drawing known as a “cartoon” is used to individually cut the hand blown glass. Once all the individual pieces of glass are cut, they are cleaned and prepared for the painting stage. The paints we use are very specialised. Once the outline is painted then they are fired at a very high temperature and left to cool over night. This process is repeated two more times, the second painting stage is the staining of selected areas of glass. The final part is the magic touch. A fine powder paint is mixed with water...once the mixture is lightly painted on each pieces of glass and dry, the water evaporates and leaves a fine layer of dust, so sensitive to the touch a flies foot prints can be detected! With a flic of a wrist, or a gentle brush stroke each piece of glass comes to life. Once this stage is complete..

The final process is the lead work which holds everything together, once soldered on both sides, The “Cementing” process can begin to make the stained glass panels water tight. Using a mud like consistancy liquid putty, it is brushed into every crevice and gap of the lead work. Then it is left to dry, ready to be cleaned and brushed to the finished piece.

If you would like to commission a window, be informed of any exhibitions, competitions or courses at Stained Glass Interiors, please feel free to visit our website or visit us at our newly opened Studio Gallery.