Glass as an artform is unique.
I combine my painter’s passion with that of glass forming to create glass with painterly qualities.
I am constantly inspired by the potential of the materials I use and by all the elements, land, sea and the deeper mysteries of space.
I create expressive, intuitive glass that contains moods and overtones of drama, movement and the natural harmonies found in nature. There are visual links to Art Nouveau as glass lends itself to sensual, organic forms. My intention is to display glass and its purity of colour at its best.
When working with a transparent material you are working with the extra dimension of light and we all know light plays tricks. When a sudden shaft of light falls in a certain way, highlighting the surface reflections, or shines through it creating fantastic jewelled flashes and stops you in your tracks, then all is revealed. You see the wonderful attraction of working with elusive, mysterious and unpredictable glass.
The technique
This is an ancient process used by the Romans and revived by the Victorians, but I give it a contemporary twist.
The frustrations that accompany it are far outweighed by the incredible resullts which can be achieved with a great deal of patience and a dexterity for cutting glass by hand.
I only use clear glass cut in layers, but transform it into artistic designs with these two processes that happen simultaneously.
Fusing
The heat in the kiln causes a chemical reaction to occur when the trapped materials melt and then fuse into the glass. Some elements burn completely away leaving intriguing effects.
Slumping
As the glass softens it collapses with gravity, so changing shape and at the same time picks up texture from the mould materials effecting a total transformation.
This is a most unpredictable creative technique mainly known for creating shallow forms, but i break rules and make my own boundaries.
I have to be patient and wait for the kiln opening before i can see the results and sometimes need to finish a piece by grinding and polishing by hand to reveal its magical qualities.