Earlier this June I saw the prize giving ceremony for the 2016 Stevens Competition run by The Worshipful Company of Glaziers. The competition has been running for over thirty years and is an important marker for those studying stained glass, and in early practice.

The quality of the work submitted was high and very varied in style. The event was expanded into a seminar that gave entrants the opportunity to see shortlisted designs, and to hear the thoughts of the judges. It was a positive, round discussion that it is hoped it will inspire good design, thoughtful presentation, and quality craft skills.

In 1991, during my own submission to The Stevens Competition, I recall working on a one-to-one scale cartoon for a brief that encompassed a memorial to Sir Lawrence Olivier. The resulting design was a progression of the photographed cartoon reduced to 1:10 scale. It was a useful experience that enabled me to look closely at the relationship between all parts of the creative process. Bearing in mind that at that time we did not work on the computer, photography proved a useful tool.