art – Richard Cann

the maker mark RH which stands for Robert Roy Hickling within a leaded stained glass window panel

RH – the maker’s mark of Robert Roy Hickling.

I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to acquire a large amount of Robert’s art. Either as complete leaded lights…

… or fragments which were perhaps first stage drafts, surplus or separated parts…

Robert was educated in Birmingham (UK) and studied at the School of Art (this is according to his book – I’m presuming it was Birmingham School of Art). He became an apprentice at the John Hardman Studios (established 1838) and later one of its directors.

a promotional article dated 1980 explaining who Robert Roy Hickling is and the company he worked for, John Hardman Studios

Robert pictured in a 1980 National Exhibition Centre promotional article for the Glassex 80 Exhibit.

The following text is from a Birmingham Evening Mail 2005 article which was promoting his book, which he had recently written.

‘…Hickling took eight years to complete the 5ft by 4ft glass panels which tell the tale of Little Missi Two Shoes, based on his nine-year-old grand-daughter Katie…

Her adventures in a land of witches, goblins and creepy crawlies are brought to life in vivid colours and imagery in a style normally reserved for religious scenes.’

It is fascinating to read about Hickling’s inspiration for his book (which was illustrated with his glass): “This book just came out of the blue and my grand-daughter was my inspiration. When I saw her walk in her first pair of shoes I said ‘look at her Little Missi Two Shoes’.”

His words really resonate in relation to some of his other pieces that I can’t believe I have: “Glass has its own magic. Most people look at stained glass in churches but what I’ve tried to do is bring nature into it so you can see birds and animals.”

I learned from the article that Hickling had been working for 43 years when he retired, but was encouraged by his wife to continue creating in his retirement.

Although the article mentions him working locally, I’ve found tributes to him on Facebook where people reference his work as far wide as New Zealand. For anyone who is not aware, AMGP, stands for Associate Master Glass Painter.

At the time of publishing this blog post I have not finished listing all the hand painted fragments I’ve acquired from Robert’s amazing stash…