Changing Light : Late Afternoon

I work with kiln formed glass, responding to the interplay of light, surface and texture in the landscape and natural world around me.

Current Work

My current body of work is a collection of subtly textured glass landscapes focusing on my local coastline and its differing moods, as observed during walks along the shore. I don’t seek to capture particular scenes, but to evoke a sense of place to which the viewer can bring their own perspective.

Process

These pieces starts with a collagraph printing plate; a piece of board collaged with textures which can be anything from textiles and textured papers to acrylic medium. The printing plate is then used to create a single use mould onto which glass is built up in layers. This is mostly fine glass powder in different colours but may also be very thin lengths of glass (stringers), small chunks of glass (frit) or pre-fired glass powder elements. The layers are built up face down, working from front to back, and coloured glass in powder form is mostly greyish whatever colour it will be when fired, so to a certain extent the selection and application of the colours has to rely on instinct and experience.
Once there are enough layers built up the piece is backed with a sheet of glass and fired in the kiln. After firing (which typically takes around 24 hours) the edges are finished and the panel is sandblasted and sealed before mounting.

To Recycle or not to Recycle?

I am a keen recycler, never liking to throw anything away if I think it might be useful in future, and this includes glass. So while the art glass I use for my main work has to be ‘new’ to provide the range of colours and materials I need, it is very nearly a zero-waste resource as even the smallest piece can be used for something and in most cases any ‘mistakes’ or samples can be re-worked or broken up and fired into something new. Unfortunately different types of glass cannot generally be mixed in the kiln, but I’m not one to turn down free glass so I use empty bottles, old window and picture frame glass and glass shelves to create a separate range of decorative and functional items.

Selected Exhibitions

Member of the Contemporary Glass Society.
Co-ordinator of the Wirral Open Studio Tour.

Qualifications