PEOPLE from far and wide filled Hamilton Gallery on Friday night to celebrate the opening of ‘Luminous: John Orval, Stained Glass Artist’ held on the 60th anniversary of Mr Orval’s first stained glass exhibition in Hamilton.

In 1962, Hamilton Gallery’s modernist building held its John Orval exhibition which was believed to be the first solo show of a stained-glass artist ever held in Australasia.

To honour the anniversary of this occasion, Hamilton Gallery had distinguished stained glass art historian, Dr Bronwyn Hughes OAM, and University of Melbourne art history program honorary fellow, Dr Alison Inglis AM, work alongside the Orval family to curate this new exhibition and highlight Mr Orval’s magnificent talents.

John Orval’s son, Noel Orval, who loaned the Gallery many of his father’s works and historical material, attended the opening of the major retrospective exhibition and spoke of his father’s dedication to his chosen medium.

“I still think of the amazing level and distance his creations achieved from this little town of Hamilton,” he said.

“It also needs to be said that during this period he never sought any assistance in the construction of his creations, financial or physical, other than help from his sons in installation.

“His creations were his own from conception to dedication.”

Mr Orval said he felt “privileged and humbled” that his father left him his loose sketches that he referred to as “part of his soul”.

He said his father never sought fame “but only acceptance” and loved hearing the comments of those who admired his creations, meaning an exhibition was the perfect way to honour his memory.

“This exhibition is my lasting tribute to a man who drank from the cup of life and left his share of a spiritual legacy,” he said.

“John Orval leaves artworks of significance and importance within the cultural history of the Western District of Victoria.

“His creative works are but one of his legacies, he was just a family man first with a unique talent who tried to make a better life for us all.”

Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) senior research curator, Jane Clark, was a special guest at the exhibition opening and said she was “hugely intrigued” by Mr Orval’s works and the approach he took to creating his masterpieces.

“His lifelong ambition was to create new art on the foundations of long tradition,” she said.

“The stained glass artwork that he began in the Netherlands offered him an opportunity to shine light on the world’s darkness.

“Orval realised early on that he wanted his own art to be made of coloured light.”

Locally, Mr Orval has pieces in St Mary’s Catholic Church, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Christ Church, and Hamilton Gallery.

Other locations across the district also feature Mr Orval’s stained glass masterpieces, such as St Andrew’s Uniting Church in Coleraine and the Dunkeld Community Centre.

The exhibition brought together an exciting array of stained glass windows, cartoons and designs as well as re-discovered footage of Mr Orval in his studio and installing windows in situ, which was used to create a short documentary.

The exhibition will remain on display at Hamilton Gallery until October 30.