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Graham Howcroft

Lieu de décès : St. John's, Terre-Neuve, Canada
Date de décès : 10 décembre 2016

Aged 72 years
Graham passed away peacefully in St. John's, Newfoundland, in the presence of his very dear friend and companion Susan Cummings. Graham Howcroft was born in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England, in 1944 - what the residents there would call a "sand-grown-un." The son of Lettie (nee Hewitson) and Horace Howcroft, he is survived by his elder brother, Stuart Howcroft, who lives in Blackpool, and his older sister, Barbara Senior, who lives in Milton Keynes, England. In 1960, at 16 years of age, Graham left school to work in the science laboratory of a grammar school, learning to be a glassblower. During this time, he studied architectural drawing and design at the Blackpool College of Art and glassblowing at the Harris College of Art and Technology in Lancashire, England. In 1966, he moved to work for the University of Lancaster, making various pieces of scientific glassware for research projects. It was here that he started using glass as a medium for art. In 1968, the British Society of Glassblowers gave him the A.D. Wood Award for outstanding craftsmanship. In 1969, Graham moved to St. John's, Newfoundland, where for the next five years he worked as a glassblower at Memorial University. In 1974, after spending a year studying the history and techniques of stained glass and mosaic in Canada and the United States, he returned to England and worked as a glassblower at Manchester University. Returning to Newfoundland in 1977, Graham's imagination and talent became evident as he began making stained-glass windows for churches, private residences, and public buildings. He opened a glass studio in St. John's in 1979, where for the remainder of his life he produced a large body of impressive and varied work. An early example was a series of 13 stained-glass windows for St Peter's Anglican Church in Conception Bay, one of his largest commissions. His 500-square-foot piece, Journey (2002), is there to be seen by all who pass through St. John's International Airport. A comment he made in 1987 neatly sums up his description of himself: "I am a graphic designer rather than a painter. I like things to have a good, hard, clearly defined edge to them - to be stark - and have a black - and- white, unambiguous character." (From Graham Howcroft: Stained Glass Designer, The Newfoundland Herald, April 14, 1987, p.26). A more extensive account of Graham's work can be found at the Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage website heritage.nf.ca/index.php. Family and friends would like to express sincere thanks to Dr. Maurice Udechukwu, nurses and staff of St. Clare's Mercy Hospital for their care during Graham's hospitalization. A service of remembrance will be held at St. Thomas' Church, St. John's, Wednesday, January 4, 2017, at 2 p.m. A special thanks to Reverend John Paul Westin, who will conduct the service. Reverend Greg Mercer has kindly agreed to a reception after the service in the church hall.

 

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