Karl Parsons

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About Karl Parsons

Karl Parsons was one of the foremost stained glass artists of the Arts & Crafts movement and one of Christopher Whall's most brilliant pupils.

His work is often charcterised by a dazzling indulgence in the techniques of acid-etchin and plating, combined with heavily stippled painting, creating shimmering works of rich, almost unsurpassed colour (the closest thing to an English answer to the Irish stained glass legend Harry Clarke)

The following summary is taken from the Ely Stained Glass Museum website:-

Karl Parsons (1884-1934)
At the age of 15 Parsons became a pupil-apprentice in the studio of Christopher Whall where he was strongly influenced by the philosophy and practice of the Arts and Crafts Movement. He was an exceptional pupil, and in collaboration with Whall, he made the windows for Cape Town Cathedral in 1908. Parsons set up his own studio at Lowndes and Drury's "Glasshouse" in Lettice Street the same year, and also began teaching at the LCC Central School of Arts and Crafts.
A visit to Chartres in 1924 had a dramatic effect on Karl Parsons. He wrote: 'So far as my knowledge goes, this world cannot show anything made by man so amazingly beautiful.' He loved rich, exuberant colours, and used pigment, acid-etching and plating to achieve the effects he wanted.
Other examples of his work can be seen at Bibury (Glos.), Waterford (Herts.), Tenby (Dyfed) and Porthcawl (Mid Glamorgan).