Each piece is a unique blown glass sculpture, a new idea and process within the form of a vessel. An ancient and prosaic form, so necessary and yet wide enough to accommodate a modern freedom. My vessels are bowls, platters, jugs and hanging pieces.
The glass bowl’s transparency allows the inside and outside to be seen, giving different perspectives and depth to the finished form. Opaque and transparent colours can stand boldly side by side, or blend, as the form emerges by constant turning, blowing heating and shaping.
These start as separate objects: two small molten cups in which the inside and outside appearance is determined by additions of coloured glass. This is added as chips of broken glass or molten colour, drawn into a point and used like a brush, creating islands, hieroglyphics, concentric lines or patterns. The cups are fused together in a molten state, blown pressed and spun into platters.
These vessels need to pour. I work the glass thick, to give it weight and substance and to allow the colours and form to emerge through the gathering, blocking, decorating and smoothing process. Then the final dance, affixing a dawdling dollop of molten glass to be flipped, held and fixed as a handle and a spout.
Freeing a rigid structural form from its machine-made counterparts so that it has a voice of its own yet still holds the function.
Freeing a rigid structural form from its machine-made counterparts so that it has a voice of its own yet still holds the function.
These hold the shape the blowing had. They are inspired by ancient altar lamps made to hold oil. All the hidden form and colour shine through as they catch the light.
Their organic form is drawn at the end of the process by pinching and pulling the blown piece. The hanging pieces are suspended on black matt steel stems attached to a ceiling beam.
Their organic form is drawn at the end of the process by pinching and pulling the blown piece. The hanging pieces are suspended on black matt steel stems attached to a ceiling beam.
My ambition here was to achieve a pure organic internal shape defined by the fluid movement of colour. I shaped these internally by blowing and externally by hand no tools were used to shape the interior in order to preserve the organic form the jagged edge at the top of the piece when it came off the blowing iron was ground down by hand to a beautiful polished surface where the structure can be seen through the glass.
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The glass bowl’s transparency allows the inside and outside to be seen, giving different perspectives and depth to the finished form. Opaque and transparent colours can stand boldly side by side, or blend, as the form emerges by constant turning, blowing heating and shaping.
These start as separate objects: two small molten cups in which the inside and outside appearance is determined by additions of coloured glass. This is added as chips of broken glass or molten colour, drawn into a point and used like a brush, creating islands, hieroglyphics, concentric lines or patterns. The cups are fused together in a molten state, blown pressed and spun into platters.
These vessels need to pour. I work the glass thick, to give it weight and substance and to allow the colours and form to emerge through the gathering, blocking, decorating and smoothing process. Then the final dance, affixing a dawdling dollop of molten glass to be flipped, held and fixed as a handle and a spout.
Freeing a rigid structural form from its machine-made counterparts so that it has a voice of its own yet still holds the function.
Freeing a rigid structural form from its machine-made counterparts so that it has a voice of its own yet still holds the function.
These hold the shape the blowing had. They are inspired by ancient altar lamps made to hold oil. All the hidden form and colour shine through as they catch the light.
Their organic form is drawn at the end of the process by pinching and pulling the blown piece. The hanging pieces are suspended on black matt steel stems attached to a ceiling beam.
Their organic form is drawn at the end of the process by pinching and pulling the blown piece. The hanging pieces are suspended on black matt steel stems attached to a ceiling beam.
My ambition here was to achieve a pure organic internal shape defined by the fluid movement of colour. I shaped these internally by blowing and externally by hand no tools were used to shape the interior in order to preserve the organic form the jagged edge at the top of the piece when it came off the blowing iron was ground down by hand to a beautiful polished surface where the structure can be seen through the glass.
More info