My practice is driven by materials, using a process of experimentation, technique development, and learning through making. Colour plays a central role in my work, helping to strengthen themes and push narrative possibilities. I draw inspiration from a wide range of creative disciplines, including fashion, architecture, brutalist design, nature, and everyday observations, allowing ideas to emerge through cross-disciplinary exploration. At the core of my practice are lampworked and blown glass alongside copper metalwork, which I combine to create sculptural, wearable pieces. The contrast between glass and metal reflects my interest in balancing fragility and strength, while the concept of containment is a recurring theme throughout my work, explored through form, structure, and the relationship between object and body. Influenced by the bold forms and raw honesty of Brutalism, I am drawn to strong silhouettes and structural elements that inform both the aesthetic and construction of my pieces. Through colour, material, and making, I create work that communicates stories, evokes emotion, and encourages engagement between the object, wearer, and viewer.
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Finding inspiration in botanical forms, surface-pattern and the human figure, Alison Mac Cormaic employs mosaic to investigate the intersection between nature and culture. She uses Mexican smalti, a unique, handmade, opaque glass with a luminous natural resonance. Building on intuitive colour responses, her work explores the joyful juxtaposition of colour blocks, with the selection, matching and rearranging of elements always a significant element in her process. Exploring a strong agency of personal drawings and mark making, she creates work developed from observation, with a rapidly drawn line or contour often informing a whole mosaic.
Her 53 years long career culminated in 3 major retrospective exhibitions:
– at Wagga Wagga Art Glass Gallery, home of National Glass Collection, in December 2023 – March 2024
– at Chasen Gallery at the Mark in Sarasota, FL, January 2024
– at Sabbia Gallery in Sydney, Australia, in May – June 2025
Her work is represented in the recent book ’Pâte de Verre: The Material of Time“,
by author(s) Max Stewart &Tone Ørvik, 2022,
Schiffer Publishing ISBN: 9780764363177
I am young as a glass artist who loves to experiment and explore new techniques. I enjoy working with glass and metals, exploring their reactive potential, and combining glass with unconventional objects.
Recently I’ve been developing both my enamel-painting and flame working techniques to produce pieces that combine both disciplines. I find that flame working in particular allows me to represent the fragility and complexity of botanical forms against fairly robust kiln-formed backgrounds.
My current practice is focussed on stained glass and kiln-formed glass powders.