JONATHAN & RUTH COOKE

We established our independent practice in Yorkshire in 1987 with the help of the Enterprise Allowance Scheme,  and have been busy ever since.  Jonathan is an ICON accredited conservator (ACR) who served a four-year apprenticeship at York Glaziers' Trust, where he learnt the traditional skills for the creation, conservation and restoration of stained glass, working on the restoration of York Minster following the 1984 fire.  His virtuosity in glass cutting and lead glazing skills are the result of his his intensive craft-based training and life-long passion for the medium. 

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He has been a regular contributor at conferences in the UK, Europe and the USA and is a leading exponent of restoration glass painting of all periods and styles.  He is a member of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral's Fabric Advisory Committee, stained glass adviser to several Diocesan Advisory Committees, a former adviser to the Glaziers' Trust and member of Churchcare's stained glass committee.  

Ruth was the British Society of Master Glass Painters' Company Secretary for seven years, and is the stained glass consultant to Blackburn Diocese. 

 

One of our major projects features in English Heritage's Conservation Basics (Practical Building Conservation series), and we have published articles on the history and technical aspects of the craft in peer-reviewed journals. Jonathan has written a manual on glass painting, Time and Temperature, which has sold 500 copies world wide since its publication by Swansea Metropolitan University in 2013.  

Both are passionate about passing on craft skills, and we accept requests for placements from students and award winners. Jonathan is a member of the Trailblazer group, working with colleagues in education and the commercial sector to deliver the new UK Government-funded  standard for leaded glazing, due to launch in 2023. He has taught glass painting at the Architectural Glass Centre in Swansea for nearly thirty years, as well as in other UK venues. Internationally, he has undertaken workshops for the American Glass Guild in New Jersey, and Orlando, Florida, and in Norway for Trondheim Cathedral.  

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Jonathan also creates original small scale artworks.  Occasionally to commission, sometimes for exhibitions, and often "because an idea won't go away"  they are unique, sometimes idiosyncratic, mainly narrative pieces. Some of his own work can be seen at jonathancooke.com

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