Glass artists win QEST funding

Four glass artists are among 28 makers given funding by the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) in its Autumn round of awards. The money will support their training and education, strengthening the future of the UK’s craft industry.

Of the 28 makers, 15 are Scholars, 10 are Emerging Makers (QEST’s newest grant programme) and three are Apprentices.

Recent Contemporary Glass Society feature artist Eddy Bennett receives the QEST D’Oyly Carte Charitable Trust Scholarship to develop his reverse glass sign painting skills.

Eddy will embark on one-on-one training with David Smith MBE, learning brilliant cutting as well as the skills for traditional silvering for mirror making – techniques Eddy says have been on his ‘to do’ list to master. Eddy will learn how to perform V cuts, edge cuts, punties, ovals and more. He will therefore be able to create mirrors in his own studio, using David’s formula.

Co-founder, director and manager at The Glass Hub, KT Yun will use her QEST scholarship award to fuse art with science to make insects out of glass. She will undertake a training programme with four specialist glass makers: Helga Watkins Baker, Scott Benefield (QEST Alumni), Andrea Spencer (QEST Alumni) and Steve Frey. KT will work with these four makers to explore kiln forming, hot glass ‘pick-ups’, flame working and cold-working techniques, alongside other technical skills that push the boundaries of glass making.

KT aims to use her new knowledge to produce a body of work for the Natural History Museum in 2025.

Catherine Dunstan and Annahieta Seyed alizadeh oskooi are two of the recipients of the new Emerging Maker grants.

Catherine has an MA in Glass from the University for the Creative Arts. She specialises in pattern-making with glass. She is a self-employed glass artist, author, teacher and mentor who is eager to develop her skills in the hot shop.

Her QEST training will involve four days at the Devereux & Huskie hot shop with tutor and QEST Alumni Katherine Huskie. Catherine will focus on advancing skills in hot sculpting and glass blowing techniques, to expand on the expertise gained during her MA studies. Hands-on training will allow Catherine to learn various glass handling and sculpting techniques, including pick-ups, torch work, tooled manipulation, and annealing.

Annahieta Seyed alizadeh oskooi is the QEST Garfield Weston Foundation Emerging Maker. She is a self-taught sign writer and reverse glass gilder passionate about combining water gilding and signwriting with a modern twist.

Her QEST funding will enable her to participate in a five-day workshop with master gilder Richard Walker, learning how to apply gold leaf and other metals to glass, creating decorative effects, blending colours and drawing into gold to make bespoke pieces of art.

Annahieta will also take a year-long programme with her mentor and sign writer Beccy Roberts, undertaking weekly practice sessions covering letter formation, typography, kerning, marbling, font memorisation, 3D lettering and more.

The next round of QEST funding applications opens at 10am on Monday 8 January and closes at 5pm on Monday 12 February 2024. For more information click here.

Image: Glass work by KT Yun, whose ambition is to represent the beauty of the insect world in glass and in doing so, pursue an evolution in glassmaking.