My lampworked dragon quest

Sandra Young is an expert in lampworking borosilicate glass, which she uses to create her signature dragons and other creatures from her studio near Stone Henge in Wiltshire. Here she explains how her practice began and has developed over almost 40 years.

I had always enjoyed art as a child and teenager and studied Scientific Illustration at art college in Southampton. In 1985 I was told about Lymington Glass Mystiques and visited to see what they made, which included quality glass ships in bottles and other glass novelties. I was immediately fascinated and, when a trial period for a job came up, I jumped at the chance. In November of that year, I lit my torch for the first time and – despite singeing my hair three times in as many weeks – I loved it and have not looked back.

As the company made glass ships in bottles, I spent several weeks pulling rigging – long, thin strips of glass otherwise known as ‘stringers’ – and tagging the corners of sails to fix them onto the ship’s masts. Even though this was repetitive, I loved the feel of the glass, and I was hooked. I stayed on when invited after my 6-week trial period. 18 months later the owner Jack announced that he was retiring and closing the business. Mandy, another employee, and I decided to carry on, making our own ideas, and in 1987 New Forest Glass Sculpture was formed in my dad’s garage. We made wildlife, fantasy and dragon sculptures right from the start but on a much smaller and simpler scale and design.

My dad helped get us a stand at the New Forest Show and we were thrilled with our very modest sales and subsequently booked more, larger ‘craft’ shows in Bournemouth and at Wilton House in Salisbury. We were soon travelling around the country exhibiting and selling our work. We also designed and created awards for British Gas and Holiday Inns as well as others. Making the ‘House of Glass’ for a TVS Television ghost story drama was a highlight of that time. My bees, hedgehogs, birds and seahorses were a favourite at the exhibitions – as they still are today. Dragons have always been signature pieces.

In 1993 our lives went in different directions and I began working alone. I moved to Wiltshire in 1995, where – although I missed the New Forest – the chalk hill landscape and ancient history gave new inspiration. I continued exhibiting at the large design and craft shows, taking my young boys with me whenever I could.

Througout my career I have specialised in working with solid borosilicate glass in the flame. I have found ways to increase the size and detail I can obtain with this glass. Its properties allow me to work with it longer than the softer glasses, and I can create a lot of detail, which is my idiosyncrasy. However, this can lead to overcomplicated and overly fragile pieces! I use both coloured glass and lustres that fire on in the kiln to create my finished pieces.

Regarding the creative process, for the fantasy pieces I predominantly create directly in the flame by working the glass from ideas I have in my mind. Occasionally I will sketch something to give me an outline of how pieces will fit together if I am creating a diorama, or to work out correct posture and alignment. I also use photographs and occasionally videos, both from online and books, to create realistic sculptures of the wildlife I make.  I try to convey my love of the fantastic and mythological world and where it meets reality in the amazing wildlife around us.

 My torch is the main tool I create with, and I have a few tweezers and hand tools I have used throughout my working life. I recently bought a new torch, which, after using the same one for over 35 years, was quite a change, but I have grown to love it equally.

My favourite piece changes regularly. I love my dragons, but sometimes the challenge of creating a bird, for example, and giving it the impression of flight and movement is very compelling. If I can convey movement in a sculpture, I am always happy, as is the case with my dancers.

I still sell my work predominantly to the public at large craft, art and design exhibitions.  For example, those organised by Craft in Focus and Living Crafts. Some shops and galleries also sell my work. I have collectors too, some of whom have been collecting since my early days of glass working and still come back regularly for more pieces.

I get commissions through online media and via exhibitions. I was particularly pleased to win the Young Collectors’ Award at the 2022 British Glass Biennale.

In the past couple of years, I have been commissioned to make a couple of pieces for TV; one was a small crystal bird in flight for Dr Who and another was a Victorian stork-like bird for a period drama.

I moved home and workshop in 2023 for a fresh start and I am developing more sculptures where I combine bronze and glass. This allows me to introduce more detail, and I love the contrast between the solid, opaque bronze and the fragile glass. This works well with the dragons, but I have many ideas for wildlife creations and other mythological creatures.

I am also working on more diorama pieces. I love combining groups of wildflowers and insects, for example, or different birds around a birdfeeder or branch.  I am also creating sculptures featuring water, like my ‘Kingfisher and Splash’ and ‘Puffin Taking Off’. There are many more ideas where those came from that I have yet to create.  Underwater scenes and creatures also inspire me.

I demonstrate at some exhibitions, and I also give a few classes per year to give people a taster of lampworking. I hope to inspire more people to take up this very rewarding art.

My sculpting, though not having made me wealthy financially, has given me so much more in other forms. It has introduced me to other creatives who are now fast friends, and it has helped me through some rough times. The effort of making my creations, although very intense with deep concentration for sometimes a prolonged period of time, brings calm and satisfaction at the completion of a piece. I find it almost meditative – if exhausting!

I am glad to have been able to continue creating – I mark 40 years in November 2025! I am always developing my own techniques and trying to stretch boundaries in my work and in myself. I do not intend to stop any time soon!

Find out more about Sandra Young and her work via her website.

Main feature image: Sandra Young with one of her trademark dragon sculptures.