TELEPHONE:
ADDRESS:
Calle Manrique 24 – 29013 Málaga
ACTIVITY
José Luis Camacho specialises in the manufacture, conservation and restoration of stained glass. He does work of several kinds, in walls or in ceilings, using various methods such as lead-came glasswork, copper-foil glass or the Tiffany technique, glass-painting with grisaille, enamels, flesh pinks, etc.
His glassmaking… process starts with data-gathering and a study, with sketches to determine the aesthetic design. The design is then drawn to actual scale and the glass panes are prepared and cut up with cutters and grozing pliers. In came glasswork with paint, the cut pieces are set out on a light table and painted with grisaille. This involves various brushes and paints: grisaille, silver nitrate, flesh pink, enamel, etc. The panel is then transferred to a came-work desk. The lead joints are soldered and finally cemented with a putty which is made in the workshop with whiting, raw linseed oil, turpentine and smoke. Depending on the panel size, the assembly may be reinforced with bars.
In the case of work done with the Tiffany technique, once the glass pieces have been cut, the edges are ground and copper-foil tape is applied. The panel is laid out on the table for soldering with a lead-tin alloy, with 63% tin. It is then cleaned and coated with patina using a chemical reagent, in copper or black colour. The panel is finished with the application an antioxidant.
In the restoration of historic stained glass, the work is more complex and requires an in-depth study of the glasswork and its condition. The process involves analysing the glass, so that the same type may be used, and also the type of lead, with damaged parts being replaced. How much moisture can be applied in re-cementing will depend on the window’s state of preservation. If no moisture can be applied, the came is filled with lead wool rather than cement.
José Luis Camacho’s glass workshop belongs to ARCOVE, the Spanish stained-glass restoration and preservation association.
TRAINING
José Luis Camacho was trained at the Molina Larios Trade School in Málaga, and then worked at various workshops. He has collaborated with master glaziers such as Mikel Delika and Fernando Cortés Pizano.
TEACHING
He has given several job-training workshops organised with the government of Andalusia.
SELECTED WORK
New glasswork:
– Los Patios de Beatas wine bar in Málaga
– Hotel Silken El Pilar Andalucía in Estepona (Málaga province)
– Convent of Sor Ángela de la Cruz in Málaga
– Columbarium of the Church of Santa María de la Encarnación in Marbella
– Bishop’s Palace of Almería
– Private… chapel in Almería
– Church of San José in Estepona
– Marbella Town Hall
– Church of Bentarique (Almería province)
– Columbarium of the Church of Santa María de la Encarnación (Ave María) in Málaga
Restoration work:
– Stained-glass windows in the nave of the Church of Santiago in Málaga
– Gran Hotel Miramar in Málaga
– Chapel in the Bishop’s Palace of Málaga
– Chapel in the Church of Los Santos Mártires in Málaga
– Consolidation of stained-glass windows in Jaén Cathedral
– Barcelona music conservatory
– El Valle secondary school, Jaén
José Luis Camacho has also worked alongside other masters at sites such as the Church of San Joaquín and Santa Ana Vitoria, the Major Seminary of Comillas, the Stained-Glass Hall in the Meeting House of Guernica, or the Church of San José de la Montaña in Bilbao.
