Remember to visit the Online Exhibitions page of the Contemporary Glass Society’s (CGS) website, where you can view present and past shows of a broad range of contemporary glass work by CGS members. In particular, make a note to visit the Christmas show ‘Access Happiness!’, opening on 7 November 2022, to view and buy unique glass gifts direct from the makers.
All CGS members are invited to showcase their glass art in galleries presented on different themes through the year. As mentioned, entries are available to buy direct from the artists, too, if you see something that particularly captures you. Click on an image to find out more about the work, from the artist who made it.
The online exhibitions are part of CGS’s ongoing programme of 25th anniversary celebrations running throughout 2022.
The Human Condition
The Autumn exhibition is themed around ‘The Human Condition’. In preparation for this, members were asked to consider the questions, ‘What makes us human?’ and ‘What characterises the essentials of human existence from birth and continues throughout our lives?’.
CGS Chair, Susan Purser Hope, commented, “CGS members were invited to ponder on birth, growth, emotion, aspiration, conflict and mortality, or simply demonstrate through their glass what makes them who they are. By celebrating their own personal condition, artists were able to let their glass do the talking. They show us what they love, hate, fear and what they hope for.”
The Human Condition is the featured exhibition until 30 October 2022, after which it remains in the Online Gallery permanently, but makes way for the following ‘Access Happiness!’ show, which goes live on 7 November 2022.
Buy glass gifts for Christmas
In the Access Happiness! online exhibition, CGS members will be celebrating what makes them happy and how they can spread joy through their glass work. It is the final online show of this bumper year of activities – both in person and online – that have marked the CGS’s Silver Jubilee.
Access Happiness! features glass art that is for sale at affordable, accessible prices, ranging from £50-£500. So have a look at this display of special Christmas present ideas, or treat yourself to a unique work of art. As well as enjoying your new art piece, you will be supporting creative people.
Access Happiness! opens on 7 November and runs until 30 December 2022. Make a note to view the show as soon as you can, so you won’t miss out, as many items are one-offs.
Image: Julia Kastler’s ‘Heart Space’ panels feature in the CGS’s Human Condition online exhibition.
One of the highlights of the recent International Festival of Glass and British Glass Biennale was Hot Hanbok/Cool Glass, a celebration of Korean culture in partnership with the Korean Cultural Centre UK.
These glass crowns made a fitting match for two regal hanbok outfits. They were designed by Eunsuh Choi, who explained that she had used national symbols such as the Palace, Rose of Sharon, Phoenix, and Dragon for her designs, to show the dignity of the king and queen and the dignity of Korea. They are made from flameworked borosilicate glass, 23 carat gold paint and faceted glass beads. Photo: Andy Kruczek.
Featuring classical music by the Kasper Trio and contemporary dance by Ye Rin Lee and Jie Sheng, the evening culminated in a dramatic fashion show fusing colourful Korean clothing (hanbok) and wonderful wearable glass, with a specially designed soundtrack by Jun Seok Kim.
Detail of the back of one of the glass crowns. Photo: Andy Kruczek.
Candice-Elena Greer, the event curator, worked with 35 international glass artists from seven countries, supported by Dr Jung Taek lee from London Hanbok, who introduced the meaning behind the colours, patterns and symbolism of traditional and contemporary hanbok. Known for their flowing lines and voluminous forms, the hanbok designs were perfect for glass adornment. Some of the hanbok were flown over from Korea for the show by the design company Danha, which is famous for dressing K-Pop group Blackpink.
Specially composed music was part of the event showcasing Korean culture. Photo: Andy Kruczek.
Candice-Elena explained, “The challenges of making glass wearable should not be underestimated. The skill with glass techniques which cover such a breadth and range alone requires years of mastery, then to work this around the body and complement a hanbok. They [the artists] had to overcome technical challenges of wearability, how the glass responds to movement and eventually how the person wearing it will feel.”
Opal Seabrook’s ‘Dragon Shield & Ceremonial Moon Blade’ (right in picture) used multiple layers of hand cut, sprayed, hand painted, kiln-formed glass, along with wooden and leather accessories. On the left is ‘Leather Harness with Glass Pendants/Norigae’, by Katerina Handlova. The glass part is made using hand blown crystal clear glass with golden mica, optical moulds and sandblasting. Photo: Andy Kruczek.
Festival organiser Michelle Keeling added, “It was the first time we have held a major event in the middle of the British Glass Biennale, with the models and audience surrounded by the gleaming Biennale glass. It brought music, movement and magic into the heart of the exhibition.”
In addition, a documentary of the event will be available to watch soon.
Main image: A fusion of Korean fashion, music and intricate glass accessories at the Hot Hanbok/Cool Glass event. Photo: Andy Kruczek.
While most of the awards at this year’s British Glass Biennale were announced previously, a few had to wait until the end of the event.
Tim Rawlinson was the winner of the 2022 People’s Prize, sponsored by Warm Glass UK, for ‘Echoes of Light’ (main image).
Sandra Young was the winner of the Young Collectors’ Award, sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, for her flameworked piece, ‘World Dragon’.
Sandra Young’s ‘World Dragon’ captured the hearts of young visitors. Photo: Simon Bruntnell.
Moonju Suh won the Guild of Glass Engravers’ Award for ‘Happiness Diary, Five Glass Dolls’.
Moonju Suh’s ‘Happiness Diary, Five Glass Dolls’ was selected for an award. Photo: Andy Kruczek.
In addition, Theo won Robbie the Raven in the Young Collector’s Award raffle. Robbie the Raven was blown by Stewart Hearn and awarded by Barbara Beadman, Master of the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers, which sponsored the award. Theo and hundreds of other children voted for Sandra Young’s ‘World Dragon’.
Theo (centre) won Robbie the Raven in the raffle having voted for ‘World Dragon’ by Sandra Young (left). His award was presented by Barbara Beadman (right). Photo: Andy Kruczek.
Main image: Tim Rawlinson’s ‘Echoes of Light’. Photo: Sylvain Deleu.
Glass artist Mary Louise White’s ‘In Our Hands’ exhibition celebrates “the power we hold in our hands through the beauty of glass”.
The many glass hands in her exhibition are cast from the hands of volunteers. As she explains, these are “the people who willingly lend helping hands behind the scenes, without fanfare and without seeking anything in return. Each hand is as unique and special as the person behind it”.
She continues, “Each hand holds a cast glass Earth Egg, symbolising the future of life on planet Earth, and the potential each of us holds to influence the outcome.
The central hand is the only one with a red ‘vein of life’, described by the artist as a “happy accident”.
“Transparent, clear glass is intrinsically beautiful. It transmits light and is metaphorically rich and deep. It acts as a lens, directing light, amplifying details, and illuminating features.
“Once formed, glass is always glass. It can never return to the physical and chemical components from which it is made. In that way, it is eternal, and yet it also has an inherent fragility, and can be shattered in an instant. The properties of glass thus bring a silent awareness of the permanence and impermanence of all things.
“This project is an invitation, funnelled through the beauty of glass, to work individually and collectively to protect the fragile systems that make life possible on our pale blue dot.”
Each participant was asked to write a few words about their hand. These were printed on posters and hung on the walls in the installation gallery.
“The posters contribute a sense of play and offer a challenge to find and match the glass hands with the texts,” states Mary Louise. “They provide insight into the people behind the hands and the richness that each hand/person contributes to one another and to the community.
“The lighting in the space creates shadows and reflections of the hands which are cast onto the walls and the ceiling. It is visually beautiful and magical. The effect seems to confirm that the reach of influence of each single hand can be farther than intended or imagined.
“The focal point is the elevated hand of the artist, the red streak of life blood pointing to a quest for understanding.
“All the hands but mine were made using beautiful, transparent, clear virgin cullet. I cast my own hand of scrap glass. One of the scraps, it would seem, was a striker glass, a glass which appears to be clear before firing, but strikes to another colour at temperatures above 1500F. The red vein of ‘life blood’ did not become visible until I divested the piece from its mould after firing. It seemed perfect! A truly happy accident.”
The In Our Hands exhibition is on until 29 October 2022 at Gallery 3, St Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre, St Thomas, Ontario, Canada. Website: http://stepac.ca
Main image: Each cast glass hand holds an ‘Earth Egg’.
Over 50 glass artists making everything from studio glass to American flameworking are showing their work at the ‘Fired Up: Glass Today’ exhibition at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Connecticut, US (on until 5 February 2023). These glassmakers have been selected because they are pushing boundaries, forging new paths, and inspiring people in support of this art.
Work is on display by the following artists; Chris Ahalt, Joshua Bernbaum, Alex Berstein, Peter Bremers, Hamm Brushand, Moshe Bursuker, Nancy Callan, Dale Chihuly & James Carpenter, Dale Chihuly, Ben Cobb, David Colton, Amber Cowan, Matt Eskuche, Micah Evans, Beccy Feather, Wesley Fleming, Wesley Fleming & Jupiter Nielsen, Kiva Ford, Kiva Ford & Jupiter Nielsen, Dan Friday, Hannah Gibson, Sidney Hutter, Joseph Ivacic, Martin Janecky, Yoshinori Kondo, Caroline Landau, Jiyong Lee, Shayna Leib, Liza Lou, Carmen Lozar, Dante Marioni, Jason McDonald, Robert Mickelsen, Jonas Noël Niedermann, Kelly O’Dell, Kelly O’Dell & Raven Skyriver, Joe Peters & Peter Muller, Michael Schunke, Matteo Silverio & Stefano Bullo, Raven Skyriver, Paul Stankard, Megan Stelljes, Lino Tagliapietra, Tim Tate, Daisuke Takeuchi, Demetra Theofanous & Dean Bensen, Kim Thomas, Cesare Toffolo, Alex Ubatuba, Norwood Viviano, Zoe Woods, and Ben Young.
In addition to the exhibition there is a programme of related events, including an informal concert on the Glass Harmonica, a musical instrument developed by Benjamin Franklin, on 17 December 2022.
The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art is at 600 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06103, USA. Opening hours Thursday-Sunday, Noon-5pm. Find out more via the website: https://www.thewadsworth.org
Image: A detail of Megan Stelljes’ ‘Neon Wallpaper III’ (2022), featuring neon with sculpted glass.
Manchester Cathedral is the final venue for the British Society of Master Glass Painters’ (BSMGP) touring exhibition, which has been travelling to locations around the country to mark its centenary in 2021. The cathedral hosts the display until 24 November 2022.
The organisation’s contemporary stained glass panels featured in this show were all made by BSMGP members especially for the organisation’s 100th year. The 30cm square works have been travelling to different venues across the UK since September 2021, mounted in special display screens.
Over 80 stained glass artists, from the UK and overseas, submitted work for the centenary exhibition. There was no limit on style or materials, resulting in a great variety of subjects and methods. Some artists entered more than one piece, taking the total to over 100. Of these, 60 panels have been chosen for the touring exhibition.
Venues have included the Stained Glass Museum at Ely Cathedral, Winchester Cathedral, Wells Cathedral, the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea, plus the International Festival of Glass, Stourbridge.
Manchester Cathedral offers the final chance for visitors to view the stained glass in person. The display is on until 24 November 2022 (9.30am to 4pm) and entry is free of charge. Manchester Cathedral is in Victoria Street, Manchester M3 1SX.
If you cannot visit in person, you can view the 110 panels submitted to the centenary exhibition online at the BSMGP website via this link. You can also read the artists’ statements about their inspiration for their stained glass pieces. Some of the artworks are for sale.
Image: Six of the stained glass panels in the BSMGP’s centenary exhibition, demonstrating the diverse styles of the artworks.
Three exhibitions of contemporary glass are on show at the National Glass Centre (NGC) in Sunderland until March 2023.
Harvest: Fruit Gathering
The exhibition ‘Harvest: Fruit Gathering’ features the work of Rachael Woodman and Neil Wilkin, acclaimed as two of Britain’s leading artists working in hot glass. They have worked collaboratively for almost 40 years, but this exhibition is their first opportunity to present their work together. This new work is inspired by the natural and spiritual world.
You may have noticed some of Rachael’s work (‘Joyful Assembly’) and Neil Wilkin’s ‘Gloriosa’ flower in the background behind Huw Edwards when the BBC presented the news from the NGC in mid-October.
This event is on from 15 October 2022 to 12 March 2023 in the NGC Gallery.
Glass Prize Research
In the NGC’s Research Gallery Catherine Forsyth and Helen Pailing present their research to date after they were awarded bursaries to develop new work as part of the NGC Glass Prize.
This Prize was funded by the Garfield Weston Foundation through the Weston Culture Fund.
Helen Pailing commented on her research, “During the pandemic, we were frequently advised against coming into close contact with others. I had my first baby in 2020 and a second in 2021, so it has felt like a paradoxical situation for me, as I have never before had so much skin-to-skin contact with others.
“It has been fascinating to see the tiny hairs on my babies as I watch them grow. This led me to think more deeply about how hairs are the receptors to convey touch sensation. Making hairs out of glass, that break when touched, became a way to start exploring ‘matrescence’ – the physical, psychological and emotional changes that occur during the process of becoming a mother – during this extraordinary time in my life. The work makes reference to rituals and mementos, and seeks to acknowledge moments that are both precious and often precarious.
“As well as space and time to focus on my practice, the bursary allowed me the opportunity to flamework with Zoe Garner, have regular mentoring sessions with Helen Maurer, visit Collect art fair in London and work with musician Marc Rigelsford, with whom I collaborated to make the short film ‘Transition’. Thank you to Glass and Ceramics students Hannah Masi and Hannah Peverley for their assistance.”
This display is on now until 12 March 2023.
40th Anniversary Exhibition
To mark the 40th anniversary of the University of Sunderland’s Glass and Ceramics department in 2022, another ongoing exhibition at the NGC features the work of some of the most influential students and teaching staff to have worked in the department.
Artists participating include Emma Baker, Effie Burns, Vanessa Cutler, Mike Davis, Sasha Delabre, Marco Andre Rodrigues Goncalves, Laura Johnston, Bridget Jones, Joanna Manousis, James Maskrey, Joanne Mitchell, Jeffrey Sarmiento, Angela Thwaites, Göran Wärff and Cate Watkinson.
‘40 years of Glass and Ceramics’ is presented in the Balcony Gallery until 12 March 2023.
The National Glass Centre is located in Liberty Way, Sunderland SR6 0GL, UK. Find out more on the website.
Image: A detail of Rachael Woodman’s ‘Fruit Bowl – purple lustre’, (2022). Photo: Stephen Heaton.
The US-based Corning Museum of Glass has published its highly regarded New Glass Review annually since 1979. The publication has an enviable reputation as a showcase of an international contemporary glass, documenting the innovation, dexterity and creativity of artists, designers and architects working in this challenging material.
Corning Museum of Glass is inviting submissions for edition 43. As well as examples of contemporary glass, submissions can include video works in which glass plays a fundamental role, and video documentation of performances using glass. The work must have been made between January 2022 and January 2023. Anyone from a beginner student to the most established artist can submit their work for consideration.
Most years, the Museum receives around 1,000 submissions from artists, designers, and organisations in more than 50 countries. These submissions are reviewed by a panel of curators, scholars and artists, led by the Museum’s curator of post-war and contemporary glass. In total, 100 images are ultimately selected for publication.
As the Museum explains, “What appears in New Glass Review is not what is ‘best’ in glass in a given year (what an impossible task!). Instead, it is a collection of works, chosen by individuals from across the worlds of glass, arranged to spark new ways to see and think about this incredible material and the people who use it expressively.”
Inspired by two landmark exhibitions, ‘New Glass: A Worldwide Survey (1979)’ and ‘Glass 1959’, New Glass Review has documented glass on a global scale and brought unprecedented critical and popular attention to the material, its makers, and designers.
Both the 1959 and 1979 exhibitions showed the prevailing concerns of glassmakers and thinkers. In 1959, industrial glass reigned; the exhibition was full of elegant sets of colourless glasses, decanters, and vases. By 1979, studio glass had made its mark, and the submissions were full of the whimsy and experimentation that characterised the movement.
Find out more and submit your application via this link.
Image: ‘Optisk II’, by Ben Orozco, featured in New Glass Review 42.
Daedalian Glass Studios creates large-scale, decorative glass installations, using an array of glass techniques, primarily for the super-prime residential, five-star hospitality, and superyacht sectors. Established in 1986 by Davia Walmsley, the business is now run by her son, Joe Walmsley. Find out more about this studio, which handles everything from design to installation for its exacting clients, in this interview with Joe.
Joe Walmsley hosting a professional development session.
You almost grew up in the glass studio. What is the first project you remember working on and what tasks did you help with in those early days? There was a project for a bar called ‘Lawdy, Miss Clawdy’ (named after the Elvis Presley song) in our local town, Poulton-Le-Fylde, that I first helped with in the 1990s. It was a huge, torus-shaped skylight, like an elongated circle, made from leaded lights with integrated steel bars for structural stability (see main feature image). The studios were (and are) next door to my parents’ house, so in my teens I would go to see them after school. This commission was a large project for the studios at that point, so my mum would not always finish at 5pm. I would help her by passing her tools and the sheets of glass she needed, then later I helped with the finishing – the blacking polish and cleaning the glass.
The skylight for this bar was the first project Joe assisted on.
Your time is mainly taken up by the operations side of the business these days, but you occasionally help in the glass studio. What’s your favourite glass working technique?
It must be kiln cast lead-crystal glass. It is such a versatile process that can bring very intricate and ornate concepts into reality. We have had some amazing cast glass commissions in the past few years – custom wall lights, decorative inlaid marquetry panels, floor-to-ceiling decorative glazing, and cast architectural mouldings, like skirting boards, dado rails, sconces, and even entire fireplaces!
Unfortunately I cannot say too much about many of these projects as most of our casting work is bespoke, one-off pieces under strict non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). If CGS members wish to see these pieces, though, we are currently advertising for a studio technician job!
Joe (far right) helping the studio team move a casting mould.
Between 2006 and 2012 you went to work in corporate finance in the City of London. What lessons from this experience have you applied to the running of a glass studio?
Of course, working in the City provided me with a strong understanding of how to structure the business financially, in a way that will best facilitate the continuation of its natural growth ark.
In the past five years we have implemented a significant investment programme in the studio facilities. We built a whole new studio area that expanded our space, part of which was used to house a new, automated sandblasting machine. Before this we only had a hand-held sandblaster. We still use this to achieve very fine, intricate details. However, the automated sandblaster allows us to put a flat, even sandblast across panels, without having to have a skilled technician there. It also allows us to do a gradient sandblast across panels, which is almost impossible to do by hand.
Next, we invested in a purpose-built sandblasting/gilding studio. Prior to this we had to outsource some of our silvering, which was problematic, in terms of the extra time required for the process, managing the quality control, and managing project costs.
Multi-depth and multi-sided hand-etching of the London skyline.
Since your return, and subsequently taking on the Managing Director role in 2017, what do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
Well, I have just mentioned the investment programme. These investments have given Daedalian Glass Studios the machinery and space to continue growth. This growth is not a new trajectory for the studios though; it was happening under the guidance of my parents, Davia and Chris, for over 30 years before I took over as MD. Davia managed the studio side and Chris managed the installations and office side. They still offer their assistance in these departments, and I would say my greatest achievement as MD is to continue their legacy and hard work.
Do you have any future investment plans?
There are always future plans! If you don’t keep moving forward, you stagnate. Our unique selling point is that we offer such a range of glass working techniques on-site. One of the few things we don’t have is a furnace to work with hot glass. It is also the area of glass working my mum first did. She had a job with the Venetian glass blowers prior to founding her own studio; this is actually the job that brought her to live in the North-West. I would like us to offer glass blowing and also hot pour casting.
How do you maintain quality control in an industry dominated by terms such as ‘industry standard deviations and allowances’?
You just need to be clear from the outset when sourcing raw materials. We explain who we are and the level of quality that our clients require. If they cannot match that quality then we source a supplier who can. If this is not available, we look to bring the process in house.
For things like float glass panels, obviously we cannot feasibly bring a glass production plant in-house. However, if the industry standard is to accept some minor surface level scratches, then we can hand-polish the glass to remove these. It is time consuming, but it is important to maintain standards.
Your main focus, and biggest commissions, are in the super-prime residential sector. Do you see more new markets opening up in the future, and what does the future hold for Daedalian?
Daedalian Glass Studios has changed the primary market it serves a number of times during its history. Originally it was an outlet for Davia to sell her private commissions. Then, in the early growth years, the majority of work came from commissions in the pub trade, such as traditional style windows and partition screens in etched and stained glass. There was also a period of focus on ecclesiastical work. Nowadays, the focus is on the super-prime residential sector.
In recent years we have been gathering momentum in the superyacht industry. We have done some interesting projects in that area. Again, these projects are almost always bound by NDA’s so we cannot feature them on our website.
Looking more long-term, we are already at the advent of automated cars and this offers interesting opportunities. In theory, should all vehicles on the road become automated, there should be no crashes. Then materials such as glass, which are highly regulated at present because of safety issues, would become less regulated. This would open up the bespoke car interiors market to companies like ours. There are already some concept cars touching on this in their interiors.
Joe and Chris Walmsley conducting a site inspection at a Royal Palace in Saudi Arabia.
It has been an unstable few years. First Brexit, then the coronavirus, and now the war in Ukraine. How have these events affected the studios?
We were lucky when COVID-19 first emerged as we were already in the process of moving all our IT over to cloud-based systems. This switch was instigated to allow our teams, such as the business development and installations people, to access our servers when meeting clients or on-site, and it allowed all our office staff to work from home during the pandemic.
Another bit of good fortune was that we had a large project ongoing in London when the first lockdown began. As active construction sites were exempt under certain conditions, and we were providing the external glazing to secure the building, we were allowed to keep a limited team active.
Over the past few years, for whatever reason, we have seen volatile markets. At times, we have had to increase deposit payments to secure orders for raw material imports. This ensures we get them at the cost we have allowed for in the quote, rather than gambling.
With the war in Ukraine, and sanctions against Russia and its citizens, we have had a few projects either put on hold or cancelled completely, both from Russian and Ukrainian clients. We have been so busy in the studio recently, though, so we have easily filled any gaps in the production schedule.
Finally, what has been your favourite Daedalian Glass Studios project?
We worked on a project in Highgate, North London, where the brief was to create a series of bespoke, cast lead crystal lights atop Corinthian column capitals to sit around a subterranean swimming pool. They were interesting as they were clad around existing structural columns and needed to be designed in such a way that they could be safely deconstructed to change a lightbulb.
Cast lead crystal light fittings.
It was the first project we did that used 3D printing to mock up the exact shapes required. Also, the Chihuly Studio created work for the same area. It is a massive compliment to see our work commissioned and placed alongside other artists we greatly respect, such as that of Dale Chihuly.
One of the lead crystal Corinthian column capitals designed to sit around a subterranean swimming pool.
More about Daedalian Glass Studios
The Daedalian Glass Studios provides a wide array of glass working techniques, providing large-scale glass commissions, and a full-service offering, comprising design, glass studio and installations teams.
Glass working techniques include:
Etched glass – automated and hand-held sandblasting, as well as hand-drilled glass
Stained glass and leaded lights
Laminated glass – including interlayers, such as fabrics, metal mesh, wood and stone veneers, leaf skeletons, paper, and digital films.
Silvered and gilded glass – metal leaf, spray silvered, verre églomisé, hand antiqued
Back-painted glass
Warm glass – kiln formed, kiln slumped, kiln fused (tack and full fusing), and kiln cast.
Managing Director Joe Walmsley focuses on the operational side of the business, but lends his talents to help the glass studios, conduct site surveys, or work with the installations team.
Siobhan Allen enjoys making geometric mosaic artworks from mouth-blown glass, which she feels are an expression of the sacred patterns found in all life. Linda Banks finds out more about her and her work.
What led you to start working with glass?
It was a hobby at first. I was working as a bodywork therapist in London and a friend who taught at the Prince’s School of Traditional Art taught me how to cut glass in his lunch break. I was very inspired by the art coming out of that school and visited him there often. I knew I wanted to work with colour and was fascinated by light streaming through coloured glass and the sense of wonder it gave me.
At the same time I started exploring traditional mosaics in evening classes as I really enjoyed making patterns and textures with small tesserae. So I spent a while oscillating between traditional mosaic and traditional leadlight windows.
Each piece of glass is painstakingly cut to create the detailed pattern.
What glass techniques have you used and why do you prefer mosaic?
As mentioned, there was a period where I explored traditional mosaic and traditional leadlight at the same time. Then I discovered an artist in the US who combined the two and, once I explored mosaic with stained glass on a clear substrate, I found a combination of crafts that seemed to offer everything I was looking for.
With glass mosaic I like that you can create complex patterns without the need to use lead or time-consuming copper foil. Instead, I use the grout in the spaces, which makes it a faster method and, in the case of lead, less toxic. I use a UV stable glue to fix the mosaic pieces down. The overall finished piece can still be every bit as bold and bright and beautiful as a leaded window.
I have explored fused glass techniques too and do fuse my substrates for my smaller pieces but, overall, I prefer the look of cold glass.
The rainbow of coloured glass pieces is held in place with clear glue and grouted to fill in the gaps.
A lot of your pieces are highly complicated, geometric designs. Why are you drawn to this style?
I have always been drawn to symbols that represent something greater than the words we use to describe it.
For me, those beautiful geometric patterns, which are found in almost every culture, are an expression of the sacred patterns in all of life.
However, despite having taken several courses in traditional geometric drawing, I am not a natural. I am therefore very grateful for polar graph paper to draw some of my patterns out.
‘Sacral Fire’ is a fine example of Siobhan’s skill and patience.
What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
These days I mostly make glass-on-glass applique. For this I always choose or draw a pattern first that sits underneath a clear substrate. Then I decide on the colour scheme. Sometimes this evolves over the course of making the piece. In recent years I have been using multi-coloured glass and often make a piece from a section of that glass, as it shows each colour fading into the next.
Adding daylight brings the rich colours of the stained glass mosaic to life.
What inspires your work?
I tend to be inspired by what moves me viscerally and emotionally, rather than by clever ideas and concepts. Light shining directly or indirectly through stained glass gives me goosebumps. Many of the colours, shapes and patterns in the natural world amaze me and I love artforms that have vibrant and ethereal colour combinations.
What message(s) do you want to convey through your art?
I try to convey something that I sense and glimpse from time to time, which is the liminal space between our world and the next. I feel we are in this beautiful world of the five senses and simultaneously we are spiritual beings, connected to other dimensions, and it’s possible to sense the two together. I hope my art somehow points to that and I get quite excited when I feel I’ve captured that quality in a photograph. I do spend a long time on the photography side of my art as it’s the primary way most people will experience it.
‘Arch’ captures the beauty of mouth-blown glass against the warmth of nature behind.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
Probably my little Paragon kiln, which I bought with part of the prize money I won for my piece ‘Heart Flower’ in 2015 (see main feature image). This was a combined competition held by Creative Glass Guild and Spectrum Stained Glass and it was a career highlight when I won the ‘Best in Show’ and ‘Best Stained Glass Project’. This kiln enables me to make all the fused hearts and droplet bases, as well as all the beads and cabochons I include in my work.
Do you have a favourite piece you have made? Why is it your favourite?
Probably the piece ‘Renewal’ is my favourite. It started out as quite a large, complex mandala at the centre radiating out. When It was finished, as I was photographing it against a window, it suddenly fell and smashed into several pieces.
The broken piece that Siobhan incorporated into the new design called ‘Renewal’.
With the largest, broken shard, I began this new piece, which has since become one of my most popular windows of all time. I love what it symbolises (“Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed, but everything is transformed”) and I have it hanging in my studio.
‘Renewal’ is the artwork that resulted from the damaged mandala.
Where do you show and sell your work?
I don’t tend to show my work as it sells quite quickly through my website.
What advice would you give to someone starting out on a career in glass?
Go for it, it’s a beautiful medium. It’s very difficult to make a living from it, but if it’s where your passion is, follow your heart.
Be patient with yourself. If you start out being inspired by other artists and copying their style at first, that’s fine. Many of us do that to begin with. But then try to bring in more of yourself that is unique and different, and develop your own ideas.
Where is your glass practice heading next?
I have really enjoyed collaborating with my partner Tony, as he makes the reclaimed timber sculpture frames that hold my glass mosaics. I hope we can explore that combination more.
I also hope to make more pieces for outside as, for me, the interplay between the colours and shapes of nature and the luminous vibrant glass hint at that liminal space that draws me.
Is the global energy crisis affecting your practice?
Yes definitely. All the materials are going up in price but, in particular, my favourite material is English Antique mouth-blown, hand-made stained glass. This has increased in price by 50% in just one year.
And finally…
I feel very lucky to be able to work in this medium and hope I can continue in it for the long term. I am also grateful to my customers and online followers, who regularly give me a boost when I receive their feedback. It’s a privilege to have that audience.
Siobhan Allen at work on one of her intricate, geometric designs.
About the artist
Siobhan Allen lives in North Devon and works full-time on her glass creations from a cabin studio in her garden.
She comes from a creative home. Her mum was a photographer and taught at Camberwell School of Art, and the creative arts were always encouraged in her as a child.
However, though she completed an Art Foundation course in her early 20s, it took another 10 years before she began practising her craft.
She draws inspiration from the geometry in nature and the sacred art of different cultures and religions.
Having lived a full and rich life of many ups and downs, Siobhan tries to bring her lived experience, curiosity and wonderment into her daily life and art.
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