Lighting for a glass painting

If you are going to light it from behind, then obviously the painting was done with no overlaps and is not traditional painting or reverse painting on glass. Therefore it is something like stained glass where each color is separate. If you can not hang it in a window, then I would suggest making a frame to hold it clear from the wall which will also hold a small halogen light (MR50 for example) that will shine on the white wall behind the glass.

For Mike I need your knowledge in lighting traditional painting. I need insert some leaded SG in boxes, to expose their in a little church (deconsecrated) but very very dark. Can you suggest me some ways to make a good work? overall regarding the choice about electrical parts.

Many thanks. Best regards to you and DNA.

Filippo from Italy

You are right in the assumption that it is not a traditional painting. (I am new to this so sorry for any confusing words). In fact, it is a "painting" of separate glass pieces (the bulk of the skill and work needed in cutting the glass in the exact shape and gluing the pieces together.)

I am trying to find MR50 halogen light on the web. I am also inclined towards some battery operated light (to be used whenever guests are over etc :) ) cause I fear the wiring to the frame might affect the aesthetics.

I hope lamps like these will give a uniform light behind the painting and the light is not concentrated at the source.

Can you please let me know where I can find such a light source or MR-50?

Appreciate your time and help.

Mike Firth wrote:

lighting. I

An MR50 is a small (2") reflector lamp that runs off of 12 VDC and usually is run off a transformer. You have seen them in store displays. They come as floods, narrow floods, spots, etc. Hardware stores may have them with sockets, etc., or you may have to go to a lighting supply or store display store. While in theory you can run them off batteries, they pull 35-65 watts, which is (about) 3 to 5 amps per bulb which will quickly drain anything but an automobile style battery. The lighting that will run off batteries is rather dim (think of a flashlight bulb without the reflector) and will kill a set of batteries in an evening. In your setting, it might work visually, at the cost of several dollars worth of batteries a night. You should be able to buy sockets for bulbs at a good hardware store or Radio Shack. You might also look at the battery lighting setups for the village buildings like Department 56. I think you would be better off planning neat wiring, perhaps using the concealing tube sold for the purpose for paintings. You then might consider low voltage lamps like those used for walkway and garden lighting, which run

8-15 watts.

The obvious answer is low voltage wiring, because the dimness of the place. But in your first sentence you say painting and in the second leaded SG. Are you lighting paintings (from the front) or Stained glass (from the back) or a mix of both (? Paintings in stained glass frames ?)

That's true of incandescent lighting, but there are lots of new LED-based products coming onto the market now that might be able to manage a longer time from a set of batteries. I wouldn't buy such a thing ready-made, though, so I can't provide any useful sources unless you want to buy bare LEDs and build your own.

Hi Ron

have you an URL/link where it is possible look at more about lighting led based??

Thank you very much. Filippo from Italy

Hi Mike I make both: some are all painted and somes are painted and framed by stained glass, but always leaded. Don't look at my sentences nearby: I was not a good student in english....sorry.

Best regards.

Filippo

One thing you can do to find more information is to search on Google for "white LED backlight". I haven't done that search myself, though. if I were making such a thing I'd buy a handful of white LEDs from someone like Chi Wing (

) and do the wiringmyself for a result like the one Mike described, using a white wall for diffusion. Another option for low cost and high brightness that can be run off of batteries (but not for more than a few hours) would be CCFLs (Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamps) as are used by various computer case mod enthusiasts and in LCD display backlights for laptops and such. Again, if I were doing such a thing I'd probably just buy the components from an electronic parts wholesaler and assemble my own, but I don't recommend that with CCFLs (CCFL circuits require high voltages.)

Thank you Ron

I am founding what I search!!!

Best regards

Filippo

Thank you I have found in the website you indicate me, more and more infos: there is many pdf material to download. They have also a Magazine to download: 5 issues. Manual instruction, data sheets..... Very interesting.

Best regards to all.

Filippo

Try to see new backliting system for all translucent artworks, glass painting included. It's called BAP (Backlit Art Picture) and can be seen on my website

or What is additional advantage of it is that it's flat, almost invisible and offers 15 user controlled backlite versions. I use it for my stained glass creations successfuly (3 exhibitions in London last year).