Milton Bond’s personal craft is the medium of reverse glass painting, working in a mirror world in the fine detail of acrylic, ink, and metallic foil, giving a three dimensional luminosity to the exposed glass side when exhibited. The medium was first introduced to him 32 years ago by his beloved sister Mildred, a lover of the arts. In the last 45 years, he has produced over 1,500 paintings, and been featured at the Museum of American Folk Art, NYC; the Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, the Lyman Allyn Museum, New London; the Grand Palais, Paris, France; and the John Judkyn Museum of American Art, in Bath, England; and the New York State Historical Association, in Cooperstown, NY. Reproductions of Bond’s paintings have also adorned the pages of many books of Connecticut art, and the covers of such beautiful editions as Only In Bridgeport, An Illustrated History of the Park City, and In Pursuit of Paradise: A History of the Town of Stratford, by Louis G. Knapp. The Italian Renaissance during the 14th and 15th centuries saw an evolution in reverse painting on glass. Italians adapted a way to use water-based paints to create figures and scenes on the back of glass. As the craft was practiced during this time period, it began to spread to other countries throughout Europe. Reverse painting on glass rose to popularity throughout Europe as the art of glass-making spread throughout the continent, according to the "Painting on Glass" website. Glass-making spread in the 15th through 18th centuries, as glass makers traveled to discover new supply sources. The majority of European glass paintings were made between the mid 1700s and 1900s.(Top left, NYC by Sue Bond)
Artists began painting religious icons and scenes on glass to be used in ceremonies and churches. As the craft grew in popularity, both professional and folk artists began practicing the trade, painting both religious and secular art. By the end of the 19th century, paintings were being created throughout Europe, Turkey, Japan, Iran, India and America. Glass painting most likely came to the United States sometime during the late 1700s and early 1800s. Foreign-born artists began practicing the craft in American cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Salem and Boston. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, by the end of the 18th century American companies began to commercially produce glass in the new country, helping to bring reverse painting to popularity. Most American examples of reverse glass painting were produced between 1800 and 1880. Source: The History of Reverse Painting on Glass, eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/
Lithographs of art by Milton Bond
