It has been a miserable year for everyone throughout the world. The arrival of Covid 19 and the speed with which it has spread across the globe, has meant not seeing family and friends, weddings have been cancelled, children have missed school, freedoms have been taken away, careers have ended, jobs have been cut short, and many lives have been lost. Our pervading sense of doom and gloom doesn’t appear to be abating as the numbers creep back up, and countries continue to tackle the virus as we head into winter.

There have, however, been glimpses of inspiration and acts of kindness as we all learn to live life differently. Despite being furloughed or facing the prospect of redundancy, many have taken up new projects or found the time to concentrate on what really feeds their soul. Businesses have been adapted, mindsets have been reset, and we have all taken the time to truly appreciate what is important to each of us.

For me, as a fused glass artist, the process of merging inspiration and texture to produce unique creations is fascinating. The combination of science and art to create beautiful pieces of glass, in all different forms, is my passion, and I’m continually learning as I go, and taking great pride in the pieces that I produce.

Fused glass is created by selecting reactive glass and silver or copper foil that together produce a chemical reaction. This becomes part of the overall design, and then vibrant colour combinations and subtle effects merge together. Every piece is unique, and I love opening the kiln to see how the science and the art have come together. I only use Bullseye Glass, which is made in Portland, Oregon. This ensures that my bespoke fused glass is always of the highest quality, and I can access over 250 glass styles and colours in sheets, powder, stringers, rods and frit.

Each fused art glass piece is handmade in my Hampshire studio in the South Downs National Park, and I exhibit with displays and shows across the UK. Of course, the chance to travel to shows and personally meet customers has been curtailed somewhat and we don’t know when some form of normality will return. In the meantime, I have moved into a larger studio space and I’m delighted to announce that this allows me to offer glass fusing workshops in 2021.

I’m so excited by the prospect of helping others learn the techniques and methods that I find truly fascinating. Learning a different skill and wanting to try something new are becoming some of the enlightening by products of this year, and who knows, you might get hooked on making beautiful and unique fused glass creations just as I did!

If you would like to sign up for my fused glass courses please get in touch via our Contact Us page.

Whatever your inspiration whether it be trying your hand at something different, filling your mind with creativity and blocking out all that is going on around the world at the moment, or just simply taking a moment for yourself, I would love to hear from you. The workshops will deliver plenty of fun and creativity, but they may also feed your soul too.

Sue x