At the end of a rainbow (From Free Press Series)

At the end of a rainbow

Cathedral windows and ancient stone circles have always held a fascination for Nigel Cann and were the inspiration for his unique design business, Stonerainbow.

Stained glass standing stones, made at his workshop at Woolaston Common on the edge of the Forest of Dean, are nowadays eye-catching focal points in the design schemes for both traditional and modern gardens.

Nigel gained a National Diploma in Design at Bristol and pursued a career in graphics but in his spare time started experimenting with art techniques using natural materials. "I began by making standing objects in concrete, using pieces of slate and brick for a contrast of colour. "Then I discovered that you can buy beautiful stone quarried locally and nowadays most of my work is in sandstone, although I sometimes use Welsh or Cornish slate. "For my first projects I used off-cuts of coloured glass provided by architectural glass artist Molly Meger, who lives nearby. A commission from a Chelsea garden designer led to enquiries from around the UK, Europe and Japan."

Nigel is currently designing a giant sun dial for the playground of a new primary school at Mickleton in the Cotswolds using two nine-foot high stones.

Another major commission was for the National Tramways Museum in Yorkshire, where he provided two large standing stones at each side of the entrance to the children's labyrinth.

He also created a Golden Jubilee Stone as a centrepiece for the village of Stoke St Mary in Somerset, using glass colours that matched the millennium window in the church. "Most of my pieces are five to six feet high and the stone can be manhandled in my workshop. I have to work on the really large pieces at the quarry. They're pulled out either side of the track and I chip away at them with a petrol-driven cutter until they're ready to be picked up by a crane truck and transported to their destination. "Usually the client decides the size of the stone and the colours of the glass. Sometimes they have a particular theme in mind. 'Brothers and Sisters', for example, is a circle of standing stones representing each child in a family, with glass matching their eye colours. "Once we've discussed the style of the piece and its location I produce a water colour sketch of the design I have in mind. If the client likes that I then select the piece of stone at the quarry. "Back at my workshop I start working on the stone with electric drills and a disc cutter, then progress to hammers and chisels and finish it off with a file to create a smooth edge. "I cut coloured glass to fit the space I've made in the stone, fusing the pieces together by firing them in a kiln. It needs to reach 400C for three minutes, then cool down very slowly. "You're never quite sure what effect you've achieved until you open the kiln. It's an exciting moment. I've had my share of disasters too!"

The glass is fixed into the space in the stone with silicone, which makes it watertight and also capable of withstanding extremes of heat and cold. "The best effect is when the standing stone is placed on a big, open lawn where you get the full impact of the light on the glass throughout the day. You can also get a really striking effect if you position a piece in a pond or lake."

One example entitled 'Rainbow Falls' is made of five panes of glass anchored in a stainless steel box but rising clear of the lake with no visible means of support. "Light is the key to all my work. I've experimented a lot at home, where one side of the house gets the evening sun and the other the morning sun." Some of Nigel's projects make use of both natural and artificial light. 'Twilight Eclipse' is a garden feature which becomes a light sculpture after dark. Two matched standing stones with hand-cut circular holes in the centre are set one behind the other with a low-voltage lamp in the ground between them. When lit, the front stone acts as a mask for the illuminated rear one, allowing a narrow rim of light to show. "The original, which was inspired by the eclipse of the sun, was commissioned for a Japanese garden in London but I've also made versions of this piece for clients in Bristol, Gloucester and Gwent."

Some of Nigel's work also involves carving words into the stone. 'The Open Book', created for a design engineer, has lines from a favourite poem cut into the right-hand stone and lit with glass colour from the left. "I have a very varied clientele. Often my work is part of a bigger garden design scheme," said Nigel.

Every piece is a one-off. They range from traditional designs, suggested by ancient standing stones and old church windows, to designs inspired by the art deco period and by abstract modern art.

One of Nigel's pieces - a 'magic and mystery megalith' was commissioned to feature in the BBC Gardener of the Year programme in 2002. Nigel is currently developing a technique for fusing window glass with natural materials such as plants and bark to create a 3-D effect. "In the future I can see myself concentrating on smaller pieces like table lamps. I've already produced some using Portland stone which is great because it has seashells embedded in it. You reach an age where lugging around heavy stones isn't a sensible idea!"

Nigel exhibits his work at sculpture shows around the country.

Stonerainbow is also included in the Open Studios Art Trail, which enables members of the public to watch artists and craftspeople at work.