ABSTRACT
In the summary to his 1978 book A History of Wood-Engraving, Alfred Garrett named the three leading creative engravers of the British School as Eric Gill, John Petts and Gertrude Hermes, all of whom were designers and makers, working in a variety of media. Petts was particularly versatile: as well as stained glass his career as a designer encompassed work in paint, mosaic, enamel, ceramic, aluminium and welded steel. From 1961 up to his death in 1991 Petts was engaged as a stained glass designer, primarily of memorial windows, the majority of which are located in Dyfed, Glamorgan and Gwent. His windows are distinguished by their clear volumetric structures and by his profound understanding of the physical and psychological properties of light and colour. The unique contribution the Caseg Press made to the private press movement has thus been submerged in the vagaries of the Press's history and Petts's subsequent change of career.
