CGS heard today the sad news of the death of Iain Gunn, at age 91. Iain was one of the founding members of North Lands Creative, and a driving force behind the development and expansion of the renowned glass school and facility that was based in Scotland.
Iain was born in Thurso in 1933. He was educated at George Watson’s College and the University of Edinburgh, where he read law and economics, and became a solicitor. He spent his career with the Shipping Federation in London, alongside a keen interest in the arts.
Iain was awarded an MBE in 2018 for services to the arts, heritage and the economy in Caithness. Viscount Thurso, the Lord-Lieutenant of Caithness, said: “Iain gave a huge amount back to his native county – not only with the founding of the Clan Gunn Society and museum, but also as a champion of the arts, heritage and tourism.
“He served as a Deputy Lieutenant with distinction, and will be remembered for his tremendous work as one of the creators of North Lands Glass. He richly deserved his MBE and his legacy will live on.”
CGS’s Administrator Pam Reekie, commented, “We send our warmest regards to Iain’s wife, Bunty, who is a joy to everyone she meets. I have so many fond memories of them both.
“Together they worked hard with Dan Klein, Lord Bob Maclennan, Denis Mann and Alan J Poole to start the amazing project in the far North of Scotland, something we tragically dearly miss.”
North Lands Creative was established in 1995 in Lybster, a small fishing village in Caithness on the far north-east coast of Scotland, to stimulate the growing interest in the possibilities of glass as an art form. From the start, it aimed to become an international centre of excellence in glass making, encouraging collaboration with other art forms.
The inspiration for North Lands Creative came from Robert Maclennan, at that time Member of Parliament for Caithness and Sutherland. He developed the idea of an international centre for glass in Caithness with Dan Klein, one of the world’s experts in studio glass, and Professor Keith Cummings of the University of Wolverhampton.
The first master class was given in 1996 by Bertil Vallien, the legendary Swedish artist, who returned to Lybster in 2002 to lead another class. Other master class leaders followed suit over the years, earning North Lands Creative an enviable reputation in the arts, and glass in particular, until its sudden closure in 2023.
Image: Iain Gunn, photographed in 2016. Photo: Angus Mackay Photography.
Netherlands-based architect and glass artist Han de Kluijver talks about his career and how he wants his glass objects to build a bridge between architecture and sculpture.
As a child, I was always impressed by mist in the countryside – the image of cows without legs. And I observed how light plays with spaces. In my final year at the Academy of Fine Arts, I realised that being an artist was not for me. I needed interaction and cooperation, and I wanted to contribute to society. In those days art training was too individualistic.
During a visit to Le Corbusier’s iconic Chapelle Notre Dame du Haut building in Ronchamp, France, I knew immediately that I wanted to become an architect. Sometimes your eyes are opened and you see things in a different light. You suddenly understand things, like you did at school. For example, once you understand the formulas in chemistry, it ‘suddenly’ becomes a fun subject.
At the kilometre-long shrine of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Japan, with its ‘tunnel’ of orange-red gates filtering the greenish light of the forest, I suddenly realised that everything is part of a larger and richer world. At such a moment, the question of what is truly important arises. What endures through time? What is essential?
At the kilometre-long shrine of Fushimi Inari Taisha in Japan, Han suddenly realised that everything is part of a much larger and richer world. Photo: Han de Kluijver.
After completing the Academy of Fine Arts course in the mid-1970s, I studied architecture, graduating in 1982. I also studied urban design, finishing in 1983. Then, in 1985, I founded HDK Architects bna bni bnsp.
Light is one of the most important ‘materials’ the architect has. Next to playing a role in the perception of buildings, light is of great influence on the quality of a structure. Colours change under the influence of daylight or artificial light. ‘Gallery’, HDK Architects bna bni bnsp. Photo: Walter Frisart Fotowerk.
Architecture is an ancient art: man has created floors, walls and ceilings for centuries. However, I am convinced that it is still possible and necessary to create completely new architectural forms and shapes. Ever-changing ways of life require this adaptability: our buildings and urban planning have to fit contemporary needs. Old and tested characterisations are insufficient as they primarily refer – in a nostalgic way – to a world that (possibly) no longer exists. This does not mean that we should not appreciate the old. What already exists can also be inspiring. However, for me, the search for new forms, shapes and materials is a very important aspect of architecture. A second essential aspect of the architect’s profession is contemplating space and its arrangement.
During a visit to a glass factory in Sandomierz, Poland, where I was working as an architect, I watched glass plates coming off the conveyor belt and noticed glass blowers in an adjacent workshop making Bohemian glass products. I saw the pleasure they had in working as a team. Inspired, I took a course and began experimenting with glass objects. Later, I met Neil Wilkin and collaborated with him for several years.
‘Credendo vides’ (240 x 180 x 140mm), made in association with Neil Wilkin. Art and architecture can strengthen and influence each other. Outings to other disciplines can stimulate creativity and innovation, introduce new materials, and improve technical knowledge. Photo: Paul Niessen.
I tried blowing glass, but switched to glass melting, as my focus was mostly on forms that I could extrapolate into architecture.
Collaboration has become commonplace, with more and more talk of solidarity and community spirit. This suits me, as both architecture and glass art involve teamwork. Today, I work with craftsman Radovan Brychta, from the Czech Republic, to create my glass objects.
The demarcation of space
Art and architecture can strengthen and influence one another. Explorations into other disciplines can stimulate creativity and innovation, introduce new materials and improve technical knowledge. Nobody is just architect, artist or philosopher. Architects and visual artists are used to thinking in abstract concepts. Several realities can exist side by side. In my work, glass and architecture are always related. The two disciplines are equivalent: both come from a love of craftsmanship, in which the design process is central. In both glass and architecture, the creation has a life of its own. While working on new concepts and conceptions of glass, I research and develop a new language of form, which I may extrapolate to architecture later. By this, in a humble way, I hope to contribute to the spatial design of our living environment.
‘Mutual discord’. Each piece measures 850 x 500 x 150mm. Photo: Han de Kluijver.
The design process is the basis for both architecture and the arts. Designing requires a specific attitude and a certain obsession. Once you have mastered that attitude, you can design either objects or buildings, or even parts of cities. For me, drawing is the necessary tool in seeking proportions, visualising space and objects, or documenting observations. As time passes, imagination and observation start to blur and drawing becomes design.
Model and drawing. There is a world of difference between drawing from observation and drawing from imagination. Drawing is the necessary tool in seeking proportions, visualising space and objects, or documenting observations. As time passes, imagination and observation start to blur and drawing becomes design. Photo: Han de Kluijver.
With my glass objects I aim to build a bridge between architecture and sculpture. Of course, there are boundaries between both disciplines: architecture is often more pragmatic in nature, as it is restricted by a client’s wishes and must adhere to construction building laws. And, most importantly, architecture cannot be fiction, whereas art can.
‘The creation that created itself’ and ‘The mists of the past into present’. These two pieces each measure 1400 x 400 x 250mm. Like architects, artists go through a creative process; they use light and space, stimulate the senses and challenge the viewer to reflect and interact with their designs. Photo: Han de Kluijver.
My glass objects only have a visual function, in contrast to architectural structures. But they do tell a story and are conceptual in a way no building could be. An architect creates space with the help of glass walls and facades. My glass objects only create space in a figurative sense. They are a metaphor for the literal space that architecture provides.
‘Mesocosm’ measures 450 x 250 x 220mm. Photo: Tomas Hilger.
Architecture is about making space. The walls are not the most important thing, but the space they create is. The cast glass object is like an architectural creation: an unchanging solid form in space. The walls of my glass objects have the same function as walls in architecture.
‘Anchored movement’ (1400 x 400 x 250mm). Photo: Tomas Hilger.
Art – with architecture in its wake – plays a leading and vital role in the development of such structures. This is why architects and artists should always maintain a level of curiosity towards a new language of forms and the motivations that shape and re-shape our surroundings.
Find out more about Han de Kluijver via his CGS member page.
Main feature image: ‘Poetry of space’, (924 x 148 x 240 mm). Han says, “It is wonderful to be able to assign meaning, to create something more than just material and form”. Photo: Tomas Hilger.
The Contemporary Glass Society (CGS) continues to expand horizons and take contemporary glass into the community through its final Discovery Day of 2024, to be held at the iconic Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The day promises a wealth of glassy inspiration through presentations by four leading glass artists, an opportunity to tour the galleries, plus ample chances to network with likeminded people.
This Discovery Day is open to all and takes place on Saturday 7 December 2024. Last year’s event at this venue sold out quickly, so book now to secure your place.
PROGRAMME
10.00am Museum opens. Registration and coffee
10.30am Welcome
10.45am ‘You gotta grind while the grit’s runnin’!’ by Theo Brooks
11.45am ‘Like a Moth to a Flame: A Journey into Molten Glass Sculpting’ by Laura Quinn
12.45pm Lunch & tour of galleries (1hr 30minutes)
2.15pm ‘Unlimited Restrictions’ by Opal Seabrook
3.15pm Tea and coffee and networking
4.00pm ‘Glass Print and the Creative Journey – Layer by Layer’ by James Cockerill
5.00pm Farewell
5.15pm End of day
5.45pm Museum closes
LOCATION
The Hochhauser Auditorium, The Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL.
TICKETS
CGS Member General Admission to the event is £45, including booking fee and morning and afternoon refreshments.
There are 20 student tickets available at £30 each (including booking fee and morning and afternoon refreshments).
Non-CGS Members are welcome for a price of £55 (including booking fee and morning and afternoon refreshments).
Find out more details about the speakers and the Discovery Day, plus book tickets, via this link.
The winners of the 2024 British Glass Biennale, held in August 2024 as part of the final International Festival of Glass under the direction of the Ruskin Mill Land Trust in Stourbridge, West Midlands, have been announced.
British Glass Biennale Award for Best in Show Winner: Celia Dowson for ‘Reflections Platter’ (pictured).
Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers Arts & Crafts Award Winner: Vic Bamforth and Darren Weed for ‘Cup Case Sommarial’s Pair’. Joint Runners Up: Tim Rawlinson for ‘Trewyn Light’ and Charlie Burke for ‘Larimar’.
Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers Arts and Crafts Student Award Winner: Aria Kiani for ‘Intimacy 22’. Runner up: Anthony Amoako Attah for ‘Independence Day’.
International Bead Biennale Award Winner: Rachel Elliott for ‘Cento-fiori’. Joint Runners Up: Allister Malcolm for ‘Nurturing Growth-Pod’ and Ann Steenkiste for ‘Deconstructed Chevron’.
Bullseye Living Edge Award Joshua Kerley and Guy Marshall Brown for ‘Protean Pipe’.
Glass Art Society International Artist Award Zac Weinberg for ‘Various Positions’.
The Glass Society Themed Award “Connection” Winner: Anthony Scala for ‘Particle’. Runner up: Beth College for ‘Equilibrium II’.
Glass Painters and Glaziers Award Rachel Mulligan for ‘Whitefriars’ Legacy’.
Guild of Glass Engravers Award Tracey Sheppard for ‘Nothing is so beautiful…’
Fielding’s Newcomer Prize Celia Dowson for ‘Reflections Platter’.
British Glass Biennale People’s Choice Award Madeleine Hughes for ‘Cornucopia’.
Madeleine Hughes with her winning piece, ‘Cornucopia’. Maddy constructed the piece by blowing coloured rondels in three colours to use as sheet glass, which she cut up to create a double-layered patterned mosaic slab. This was heated up, rolled onto a pipe, encased in clear glass and blown into a cone shape. Finally, a diamond wheel on a lathe was used to cut the Battuto lenses covering the outer surface. Photo: Simon Bruntnell.
Various prizes were awarded to exhibits at the final International Festival of Glass, held in Stourbridge, West Midlands, UK in summer 2024.
CGS postcards exhibition
Once again, CGS held its popular ‘postcards’ exhibition, with the 2024 theme being ‘Thanks for the Memory’. This theme was inspired by the fact that this year’s IFOG was the last to be held in Stourbridge. After 20 years, the increasingly popular event has now been taken over by the US-based Glass Art Society, which plans to take the Festival around the country in the coming years. In 2026, The World of Glass in St Helens, Merseyside, will host the event. So CGS wanted to mark this change.
Over 100 members took part in the fundraising show, with some choosing Festival-inspired themes and others marking personal memories in their designs. Many glass techniques were employed in creating the mini masterpieces, which were for sale at £50, £75 or £100 each.
The Best in Show prize of £300 was awarded to Nancy Sutcliffe for ‘An Elephant Never Forgets’ (main image above). This award was sponsored by Alan J Poole.
The two runners-up prizes, sponsored by Mark Holford, were won by Susan Purser Hope’s ‘Splash’ and Opal Seabrook’s ‘Snap Shot’.
Susan Purser Hope’s ‘Splash’.Opal Seabrook’s ‘Snap Shot’.
Highly commended were Karen Lilley’s ‘Thank you for the venues and to the people who staffed them 2024’, Alison Jardine’s ‘Star Gazing with Grandad’, Helen Slater Stokes’ ‘Thank you Ruskin’, Kate Jones’ ‘Green and Pleasant Land’ and Zara Johnson’s ‘Blooming Brilliant’.
Karen Lilly’s piece was one of the five highly commended postcards.
British Glass Biennale awards
The Glass Society chose two pieces in the British Glass Biennale to receive its awards of £2,500 and £1,000, respectively. These were ‘Particle’ by Anthony Scala and ‘Equilibrium II’ by student Beth Colledge. The works were judged on technical skill and artistic appeal.
‘Particle’ by Anthony Scala.Beth Colledge’s ‘Equilibrium II’.
Janine Christley recognised
Retiring Festival Director Janine Christley was recognised for her hard work nurturing and developing IFOG over the years with a Special Award for Service to Glass from the Glass Society. Her award was a specially commissioned glass artwork called ‘Blossom’, made by Allister Malcolm, the resident glass artist at Stourbridge Glass Museum. Janine is joining the board of the Glass Art Society, which takes over the running of the IFOG from October 2024, to ensure a smooth transition. The location of the 2026 event will be The World of Glass in St Helens, Merseyside, UK.
Janine Christley being presented with her award by David Willars, who recently stood down as chair of the Glass Society.
Main image: The winning piece from the ‘Thanks for the memory’ exhibition, created by Nancy Sutcliffe.
South African artist Dr Sarah Pryke has brought a scientific eye to the creation of her finely detailed glass mosaic pieces. Linda Banks finds out more.
You have an academic background in biology, which clearly influences your highly realistic artworks. What led you to start working with glass mosaic?
My work as a mosaic artist evolved unintentionally. While working as a biologist in Australia, I was looking for a creative outlet and tried mosaics at a local Saturday class and I guess I caught the mosaic bug! In 2016 I sold my first mosaic and within a few months I had a full-time business and growing commission list.
I started out working with ceramic tiles, slowly incorporating more and more stained glass into my artworks over the years, as I began to experiment and create more detailed and realistic work. Initially, I found glass a rigid and often unforgiving medium, but I’ve learnt to love its reflective nature, which changes depending on the lighting and angle of viewing. This reflectivity can bring an added dimension to the artworks, allowing them to continuously change, and helps bring the scenes and subjects to life.
‘Morning Gaze’ (2024) is a commission of a lion with the early morning light catching his fur and the foreground grasses (60x90cm).
While mosaic is your preferred method, are there other glass techniques you use?
I sometimes play around with fusing glass to create unique elements and add interest and texture. This includes specific body parts (such as noses), to fur and tree bark. I will often use the ‘wrong’ techniques here to produce cracks, bubbles and weird textures in the glass to help create the desired effect.
‘Turtle Reflection’ (2022). Sarah found this a fun commission to design and create in glass. The fish are made from fused glass. Measures 1.7m square.
What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
If I’m working on a pet or animal portrait, I will usually sketch the animal directly onto the board, using multiple reference photos to try and capture the characteristic traits and emotions of the subject. If I’m designing a unique scene, I usually sketch the basic design in watercolours first (and then play around and change it many, many times!) before sketching it on to the backing board. I often end up changing many sections, or at least some elements, as I begin working, because I find that the sketched ideas or designs in my head don’t always translate well into the mosaic. But I guess that this is the challenge of working in this medium!
‘Thandeka’ (2022) in progress. Sarah says she finds human portraits particularly challenging, but she enjoys the challenge.
What message(s) do you want to convey through your art?
I think that the main message I want to convey is the incredible beauty of nature. I’ve always had a passion for animals and wildlife, first explored academically through my biological research, and now creatively through my mosaic artworks.
I try to capture not just the shape, patterns and lines of the birds and animals, but also each character and personality, in the hope of providing the viewer with an emotional reaction to the subject. Perhaps because of my biological background, I also attempt to place subjects and scenes in realistic and natural contexts (while still providing my artistic interpretation) to highlight the beauty of the natural world.
‘Miss Ivy’ (2024) is a commission portrait measuring 60x60cm in size.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
Probably my very old, wonky and damaged veterinary dissecting tweezers! I found these little tweezers in an old laboratory dissecting kit that I was throwing away about five or six years ago and, since then, I have used them on every mosaic. They need to be replaced, but I’ve never managed to find a suitable replacement that I am comfortable with. Every time I pick up the old tweezers and start working, I feel right at home!
Do you have a favourite piece you have made? Why is it your favourite?
This is a very hard question to answer. There are so many favourites, those that evoke special memories… those that have really challenged and taught me important lessons… those that have been pivotal in influencing the direction and evolution of my artwork. It’s hard to choose!
I guess one of my ‘favourites’ is a large (life size) artwork of my three-legged dog, Joey, shaking off water after swimming. I made this one about five years ago and, although there are many aspects I’d like to change about it, every time I walk past it catches my eye with the water sparkles and I find myself smiling at ‘Joey’. I only own three of my own mosaic artworks (two of which were my first ones), so I guess that it must be a favourite as I haven’t sold it!
‘Joey’ (2019). Sarah created this artwork of her three-legged dog when she was starting to create more detailed artworks and exploring working exclusively with glass. This piece measures 1200x2100cm in size.
Where do you show and sell your work?
I mostly work on commissions, which go to homes all around the world. I also sell through local (South African) galleries and art exhibitions, as well as through my Facebook and Instagram pages.
Do you have a career highlight?
One of the many highlights was designing and creating a large bar for a private game lodge (Tuludi) in Botswana. I worked on different sections of this mural in my studio, before they were crated and trucked up to the lodge. I then went on site to complete and grout the mosaic work. This mural was definitely challenging (especially working on the curve with inflexible glass!), but it was such a fun and rewarding project. And it was pretty special to work with elephants watching!
The mosaic bar at Tuludi private game lodge in Botswana. The mosaic is over 7m long, wrapping around the lower part of a horseshoe-shaped bar, and featuring some of the local flora and fauna in the surrounding Okavango Delta. Designed and created in 2019.
Where is your mosaic practice heading next?
That is a very good question – and one that I wish I had the answer to! With the clarity of hindsight, I can see that my style has evolved to become much more realistic over the years, as I work to capture the finer details of my subjects and scenes. This approach was not intentional; it has simply evolved through trial and error as I constantly experiment and learn from each artwork that I’ve done. I’m quite excited to see where it goes from here.
‘Namibian Diptych’ (2023). This commission features some of the unique flora and fauna found in the Namibian ecosystem. Each panel measures 80x80cm in size.
What advice would you give to someone starting out on a creative career?
I would recommend following your passion, whether it be in the subject matter or medium, and then finding your own unique niche and creative process. Many new artists start out by copying or trying to imitate other artists that they admire or aspire to, and although this can help with learning techniques, I think it can hinder finding your own creative expression and path. I would encourage experimenting with what interests and intrigues you, taking risks and not being afraid to make mistakes; this is where you really learn and evolve.
‘Greta’ (2021) is a commission of a beloved warmblood horse. It is one of largest (1.4×1.8m in size) and most challenging pet portraits that Sarah has done.This close-up shows the glass mosaic details that make up Greta’s eye.
And finally…
It is interesting to look back through photos of my art over the last eight years and see how much my style, approach and technique have changed. I really had very little idea about what I was doing when I started, or where this could potentially lead, and I never imagined I would become a full-time artist. This finely detailed mosaic work is incredibly time consuming, often challenging and sometimes very frustrating, but I absolutely love it!
The Glass Art Society (GAS) has announced that the first International Festival of Glass (IFoG) under its stewardship will be held at The World of Glass (TWoG) in St Helens, Merseyside, UK, from 27-31 August 2026.
IFoG is a biannual festival celebrating all things glass, with masterclasses and exhibitions, including the British Glass Biennial, among many other activities. In selecting a location for the next IFoG, GAS stated that it is important to move throughout the UK to partner with as many glass artists and organisations as possible and to make glass accessible in every corner of the UK.
“We are excited to partner with the World of Glass for the 2026 Festival,” stated GAS Executive Director Brandi P Clark. “As the original home of Pilkington Glass and an advocate for contemporary UK glass, TWoG is the perfect partner for a festival completely dedicated to the material we all love. Halfway between Liverpool and Manchester, the location will make the Festival accessible for tourists and glass enthusiasts alike.”
TWoG Executive Director Sarah Taylor added, “We are so pleased to be partnering with the Glass Art Society to bring the festival to the NW of England for the very first time. We see this as an exciting opportunity for the World of Glass to do what it does best; promote and engage with the public to help them better understand the art, history and science of glass, as well as promote St Helens’ integral place within the industry. GAS has significant experience bringing together the international community of glass artists and enthusiasts and we are looking forward to working with them over the next two years to deliver a fantastic festival.”
Image: The World of Glass will host the 2026 International Festival of Glass.
Debora Coombs is an accomplished stained glass artist with a love of geometric patterns that has led her to push the boundaries of her practice to make 3D creations based on scientific tiling. Linda Banks finds out more.
You have long experience with stained glass and an interest in geometric design. What set you on this path?
My fascination with light and geometry began as a very small child. I’d spend hours watching patterns of sparkling light cast from a streetlamp onto my bedroom window. The streetlamp always stayed at the centre of circles of straw-like scratches of light, even when I moved my head. This seemed mysterious. Now I know that light patterns, like ripples on a pond, are visual expressions of nature’s hidden energy. The sparkles I loved were caused by shifting my point of view and altering the relationship between indoor and outdoor objects and textures. Curiosity about the relationship between viewer and viewed has stayed with me, fuelling my work in glass and geometry. I use glass painting to manage the relationship between transparency and opacity and have developed techniques that allow me to do this without losing the sparkle of mouth-blown glass – a dance I find endlessly fascinating.
Geometry also has deep roots and plays a key role in my work. It started in the early 1980s when I was at the Royal College of Art working on a Master’s degree in the Ceramics and Glass department. A geometric pattern with unusual symmetry was discovered by British mathematician Roger Penrose. It grabbed my attention. I made drawings based on Penrose tiling by hand and with a plotter (a primitive type of computer printer), then painted and fired them onto glass. Then, 30 years later, I met computer scientist Duane Bailey and we built sculptural versions of Penrose tiling [see YouTube video via this link]. I learned more about the underlying mathematics, and that Penrose tiling is related to the atomic structure of quasicrystals, a type of matter that occurs naturally in meteorites. Enthusiastically I returned to the work I’d begun as a student.
‘Cloaking Device III: Mirrored Quasicrystal’ (2023) was photographed in the snow by the artist. It is made from silvered glass, copper foil, solder and rubber and measures 70cm x 63cm x 7.5cm.
What is your creative approach? Do you draw your ideas out or dive straight in with the materials?
I’ve been working on the same geometric project for so long now that each day in the studio is a continuation rather than a beginning. My ‘next steps’ sometimes come in dreams, scribbled down in the morning as little diagrams and notes. Ideas also come from noticing new shapes or patterns in my existing work, sometimes almost by accident, and deciding to investigate them.
With stained glass commissions, which can feel daunting at first, I use geometry to get myself grounded, setting about with compass and straightedge to find relationships between width and height of window openings, the underlying structure of any curves or tracery, and to decide where to break the window into separate panels and place support bars. This, my first step in designing a window, is both a ritual and a practicality. It calms my mind and allows me time to consider structure before having to think about detail. It creates a solid visual and physical foundation for building a new piece of work. Ideas about colour, transparency, imagery, materials and technique flow much more easily as I begin sketching over photocopies of the geometry.
Drawings and designs with geometry for stained glass at Carroll College, Helena, Montana, US (2017). Photo courtesy of the artist.
What message do you want to convey in your work?
Although my work is sometimes narrative, I’m not attached to the idea of promoting my own stories or guiding the viewer’s interpretation. When my work resonates with someone, it’s often in ways I hadn’t imagined and I really enjoy this. We are all so different, and yet we can connect, sometimes in surprising ways. The fact that we are conscious of this and can talk about it is extraordinary. This is my message, perhaps – that Nature is remarkable.
Ancient Winchester silverstain printed by hand onto mouth-blown glass for a stained glass project at Carroll College, Helena, Montana, US, (work in progress) (2017). Photo courtesy of the artist.
What is your favourite tool or piece of equipment and why?
I’ve begun to think of my mind as an extraordinarily high-tech piece of equipment. Used skilfully and for the right purposes, it is a remarkable tool. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to use my mind more creatively, not letting my brain run amok or settle into autopilot.
Besides this, my Hoaf Speedburn glass-firing kiln is my favorite piece of equipment. It is propane-fuelled, computer-controlled, anneals safely and quickly, and I love the sound of its burners clicking on and off over the gentle hissing of the pilot light.
Do you have a favourite piece you have made?
Like a child, my favourite piece is often what I’m working on when someone asks. ‘Mirrored Quasicrystal’ is a sculpture of Penrose tiling made from hundreds of identical glass diamond shapes copper-foiled, soldered together and reverse-coated with rubber to fix the mirror’s corrosion. I think of it as a hunk of meteorite, billions of years old, with fascinating geometry. As Mirrored Quasicrystal rotates [see YouTube video here], it casts shifting patterns of light in sheets that move simultaneously in different directions. Another favourite, ‘Baroque Quasicrystal’ [main feature image], is made from transparent glass painted with a coded version of the pattern’s mathematical assembly rules. It casts an image of the original, two-dimensional Penrose tiling.
Where do you show and sell your work?
I do stained glass commissions and teach twice a year at my studio in Vermont, US, and elsewhere. This allows me to continue making art that may not be of interest to anyone else. This income enables me to travel to retreats and artists’ residencies and to continue making non-commissioned work.
View through baptistery screen to nave windows at St Mary’s Cathedral, Portland, Oregon, US (1993-96). Traditional hand-painted stained glass; sandblasted and French-embossed float glass. Photo: John Hughel.
You are also an educator. What advice do you give to those starting out on a career in glass today?
Put a roof over your head first, pay your bills, then play freely. Indulge yourself. Make whatever interests you. Be curious. Learn new techniques. Seek out peaceful, uninterrupted time to make work, either in your studio or away from home. Show your work to others but don’t take their opinions to heart.
‘Perovskite’ (detail) (2018) is made from mirror glass, copper foil, solder and finished with carnauba wax. It measures 38cm x 50cm. Photo: Jack Criddle.
You have collaborated with other artists. What are the benefits and challenges of such projects?
Collaborations expand my practice in various ways, including technically, and bring new energy to my studio. Sometimes, as happened when I met Duane Bailey, they’ve shifted the direction of my work in a big way.
I began making three-dimensional stained glass with rough sculptural surfaces after building this steel and glass plank [see image below] with artist Jason Middlebrook. This post shows how we cut and welded a steel armature, wrapped it with copper foil, and used solder as a modelling material.
This steel and glass plank was created in collaboration with artist Jason Middlebrook. Photo courtesy of the artist.
Another collaboration, with artist Darren Waterston for his installation ‘Filthy Lucre’, got me interested in building three-dimensional geometric work in glass and brass. Darren came with a clear vision of painting that would look old and decayed. My painting techniques are easy to master and, with a little instruction, Darren painted the glass himself. We later built another 38 lamps as a fundraiser for the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), where his work was exhibited. Since then, I’ve hosted artists working in blown glass, fused/slumped glass and ceramics and they’ve learned how to use my techniques in their own work.
A stained glass collaboration I especially enjoyed was translating a collage by Michael Oatman into this window for his space satellite in ‘All Utopias Fell’, also exhibited at MASS MoCA. Much of my enthusiasm came from not knowing how it could be done and yet somehow believing it must be possible. In the end, I got a marvellous sense of achievement from gradually figuring it out.
Do you have a career highlight?
A clear winner for ‘career highlight’ was writing and illustrating an academic paper about my geometric work. It’s very short, and probably would’ve taken a researcher just a couple of weeks, but I was starting at the bottom, learning how to describe my work accurately with words, and it took me 20 months. It describes how I discovered new fractals and methods for assembling quasicrystalline patterns in two- and three-dimensions. I was thrilled when my paper survived several rounds of peer-review and was published by Bridges Art & Mathematics in their 2021 Conference Proceedings.
Where is your practice heading next?
My long-term goal is to figure out how to build large fields of quasicrystals as simply as possible. I want to make extended sheets from individual units that snap together with magnets and connect with their neighbours in a way that continues naturally. I am currently writing another academic paper about these magnetic geometric shapes and the overall pattern of electromagnetism they create.
Alongside this, I’m working on a stained glass commission that shows the dawn sun rising over the horizon in a New England seascape. The design is partly geometric and partly naturalistic, with hand-painted native plants and flowers. The window will be traditional in many ways, but 21st century too, with images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope carved into thin layers of coloured frit in the receding night sky.
And finally…
Debora Coombs working in her studio on the design for stained glass for Carroll College, Helena, Montana, US (2017). Photo courtesy of the artist.
Thank you for this opportunity to share my story with the CGS community. I’m happy to have spent my life as a maker. I love glass, paint, colour, hand tools and technology. Making art from real materials helps me see and feel Nature in a tangible way, and craftsmanship seems especially worthwhile in an age of plastics and technology. I marvel at computing and mechanisation and use them in my work. I also love making things old-style, working with my hands.
Main feature image: ‘Baroque Quasicrystal’ (2015) comprises hand-painted antique glass, copper foil and solder. It measures 56cm x 65cm x 9cm. Photo: John Polak.
The 2024 Making Futures conference, on the theme ‘Beyond Objects, Materiality at the Edge of Making’, takes place at Arts University Plymouth in October 2024.
The event will explore craft encounters with current material innovations where artists, artisans, designers and others work across disciplines and communities toward a more equitable, sustainable and resilient world.
The conference will examine how these encounters begin to alter both the formal and conceptual expectations of craft, opening traditional techniques to the behavioural, biological and environmental dimensions of physical matter beyond object-making, to take a more holistic view of how materiality shapes and influences human experience.
The organisers state, “As with all forms of creative practice, the boundary of what is considered ‘craft’ is fugitive – adapting and transforming as we look with urgency at how the deep, historical knowledge and artisan traditions associated with craft might provide contemporary society with an alternative to our current habits of consumption and enable us to live more respectfully with each other, the natural world and our planet.”
Keynote speakers include Sherry Lassiter, President and CEO of The Fab Foundation, and Elissa Brunato, CEO and Founder of Radiant Matter.
The conference takes place from 17-19 October 2024 from 9:30am-5pm daily at Arts University Plymouth, Tavistock Place, Plymouth, PL4 8AT.
Making Futures is Arts University Plymouth’s research platform exploring contemporary craft and maker movements as ‘change agents’ in 21st-century society. It was first convened in 2009.
Find out more and book via this link. Please note that the conference schedule is subject to change while the programme is finalised.
The Institute of Conservation (ICON) Stained Glass Group conference and AGM takes place on 26 October 2024 in Chester, UK.
Titled ‘Beyond the Whall – The Challenges of Conserving Glass from the Arts and Crafts Movement to the 21st Century’, the event will feature six professional speakers, a walking tour of Chester, plus dinner and quiz evening.
Christopher Whall (1849-1924) was a leading British stained glass artist in the Arts and Crafts movement. The conference will investigate the stained glass work of his pupils and later 20th Century stained glass artists. It will cover the innovations, pitfalls and solutions to problematic conservation issues relating to some of Britain’s finest stained glass.
Early bird ticket prices are available until 26 September 2024. In addition, there are five free tickets available for early years practitioners and students. To apply for a free ticket, please email a 250-word statement telling a little bit about yourself and how you would benefit from attending this conference to iconstainedglass@gmail.com by 16 September. Winners will be notified by 20 September.
Additionally, attendees can enjoy a secondary event at Chester Cathedral from 1pm on the day before the conference, 25 October 2024: a symposium celebrating the works of stained glass artist, Trena Cox (1895-1980). Entry is by donation. This takes place alongside the exhibition ‘Trena Cox: Reflections 100’ (7 October-8 November 2024). The show is an exploration through exhibition and art of the legacy of one of Chester’s unsung heroines.
‘Beyond the Whall’ takes place on 26 October 2024 from 9.30am-6pm at the Wheeler Building, University of Chester, Castle Drive, Chester, CH1 1SL.
Find out more about the conference and AGM, including the full programme, and book via this link.
Image: Detail of stained glass window by Trena Cox.
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