Artist Statement

In today’s world where individuality is advocated, we tend to forget the we are all connected in the ecosystem on Earth, part of nature and the universe. Our relationship with ourselves and with others is perceived to be separate, where really it is by first  tending to our own inner light can we shine bright and illuminate the way for others.

 

Using existing pieces amassed over a decade of glassblowing practice, these are assembled with reclaimed local timber to create illuminated sculptures. The amount of gas and electricity required for glassblowing is significant, and I am acutely conscious of the impact of wasted resources in the environment. Before the advent of gas furnaces, vast swathes of forest were chopped down in order to provide the fuel required to keep the glass constantly molten. These sculptures are in honour of trees for their sacrifice, the base upon which made glass blowing possible.

 

Glass and wood are both solid and soft, long lasting and yet brittle, depending on their state. By juxtaposing these seemingly different materials, it is an analogy to the human experience. At the most basic level we are all atoms, and by celebrating and respecting differences in each other, our lives are made more rich. This is the premise behind my series of giant chess pieces ‘Queen to Rook’. In the game of chess, like life, there are rules and limitations - imposed or assumed. Yet we have the freedom to choose our next move, based on the parameters at that juncture. Perception plays a huge role in that choice. The light in these sculptures represents the light within each of us - no matter how small or dim, will ever quench the dark.

 

Creating illuminated sculptures is vastly different to blowing glass. It is a slow methodical process which takes days or weeks to engineer; from the meticulous selection of wood to devising how the electrics fit and grinding each piece of glass to fit precisely. In contrast, working with hot glass has to be at a dynamic pace as its viscosity changes in seconds. It requires being fully present in each moment, a meditative practice that touches on the divine. The result is that each blown piece embodies my emotions and state of mind in that instant, frozen in time.