Member’s Spotlight

Laura McKinley

My interest in play and the inviting qualities of glass are strong motifs throughout my work. Using hot glass I am directly contradicting the delicate and fragile material in which the objects are created by inviting engagement and interaction, at the same time, exploring form, texture and the illusion of space. The play of light and shadow and the optical qualities of solid glass evoke a childlike intrigue.

Laura’s fascination for glass as a creative medium stems from its capacity to constantly alter her initial thoughts and expectations. The spontaneity of the hot material demands instant visual judgments that give rise to shifts in her ideas. These allow her to make tangible her explorations of volume, scale and the random interplay of forms. Serendipity and the unexpected often point the way to the next starting point for making.

An element of Laura’s inspiration is the Italian technique, Incalmo, the joining together, whilst still hot, of two separately blown glass bubbles to form one piece. When cold, the fluidity of these objects is interrupted by cutting to expose voids which enable the viewer to see both the internal and exterior spaces. The varying thickness of glass and polished angled surfaces create ever-changing effects of light and shadow, a characteristic that is exploited to create an environment of illusion. Laura’s work is an invitation to engage with the tranquil beauty of the incidental.