It all started in March 2009. My wife found something educational for my birthday. I also think it was a way to get me out of the house on a Saturday morning for a few weeks. A class in stained glass making led me to produce an A3 leaded stained-glass piece and I was hooked. My interest then developed as I discovered coppering to hold the glass together instead of lead.
I then came across a way of fusing glass in a microwave using a Hotpot. Whilst the Hotpot is good for making small items like earrings I wanted to see about making larger items leading me on to took a course in fusing in a kiln. Procrastination then took over as I could not decide if I should buy a kiln or not. My daughter helped me with the problem and found one in the back of a shed at work. After a new controller was purchased - as it was a pottery kiln - I was able to fuse glass in my own kiln.
Not just fusing but also slumping. I linked this with an interest in sailing to shape a piece where the glass sail looked as though the wind was shaping the glass thus moving the boat forward. Coppering led to producing sail boats - several people who have them comment on the boat working its way across the kitchen top when the sun catches them in the window.
Upcycling wine bottles to make items gives me more than an excuse to enjoy drinking more wine (although not much excuse needed).
Since starting out in 2009 whilst still in paid employment I am now enjoying retirement and able to concentrate more on my glasswork. I have taught stained glass for a school, given talks to community groups and completed several commissions. Currently I have items of my glass in Australia, USA and Japan.
Please have a look at the gallery of glass produced in the past and should you be interested in having a go or having a piece made, please use the contact us and we can work out the details.
I then came across a way of fusing glass in a microwave using a Hotpot. Whilst the Hotpot is good for making small items like earrings I wanted to see about making larger items leading me on to took a course in fusing in a kiln. Procrastination then took over as I could not decide if I should buy a kiln or not. My daughter helped me with the problem and found one in the back of a shed at work. After a new controller was purchased - as it was a pottery kiln - I was able to fuse glass in my own kiln.
Not just fusing but also slumping. I linked this with an interest in sailing to shape a piece where the glass sail looked as though the wind was shaping the glass thus moving the boat forward. Coppering led to producing sail boats - several people who have them comment on the boat working its way across the kitchen top when the sun catches them in the window.
Upcycling wine bottles to make items gives me more than an excuse to enjoy drinking more wine (although not much excuse needed).
Since starting out in 2009 whilst still in paid employment I am now enjoying retirement and able to concentrate more on my glasswork. I have taught stained glass for a school, given talks to community groups and completed several commissions. Currently I have items of my glass in Australia, USA and Japan.
Please have a look at the gallery of glass produced in the past and should you be interested in having a go or having a piece made, please use the contact us and we can work out the details.