Reverse Glass Paintings

At Easton Library

EASTON — Milton Bond and Sue Bond will have an exhibit of reverse glass paintings at The Easton Library Gallery through January 10.

Mr Bond is a self-taught artist who was born in Bridgeport, and currently resides in Stratford. He is regarded as a true master of his craft and one of the most successful reverse glass painters of all time.

Reverse glass painting is a rare, ancient art first practiced in Egypt in the 4th Century AD, and also traced to 13th Century Venice and the Orient. The technique became popular in the early 1800s and utilized in clock faces.

It is a unique art form requiring specialized skills as the artist must paint the design on the back side of the glass for viewing from the front side. The painting is done in layers with the up close objects painted on first and the background objects viewed painted on last and varnish in between each layer.

Now 89 years old, Mr Bond has been doing reverse glass painting for over 40 years. His critically acclaimed work has been shown worldwide including at the Palace of Versailles, Smithsonian Institution, Fenimore House in Cooperstown, N.Y., the New York Museum of American Folk Art, and The White House.

In 1984, 1985 and 1992, he competed in the Swiss International Folk Exhibition and won a bronze, a silver and gold medal. He created a painting for the Reagan White House that depicted the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn.

His work has been published in numerous books including Rizzoli’s American Folk Art of the Twentieth Century and All-American Folk Arts and Crafts. His Statue of Liberty painting was featured on the cover of a special New York Times supplement celebrating Bridgeport’s 150th anniversary.

Sue Bond, Milton’s daughter, was taught the technique of reverse glass painting by him. She has been doing artwork for private collectors for the past five years.

Easton Public Library is located at 691 Morehouse Road. For more information and library hours, call 261-0134.