Early in his career Coles worked for a studio which made stained glass and worked on designs for Hugh Easton, the ecclesiastical stained glass artist. He also worked on his own stained glass projects throughout his life. These designs are likely to date from the 1950's and were probably produced for submission to clients. By painting directly onto Melinex Coles was able to successfully create a synthetic imitation of the quality of light passing through coloured glass.