Artist Statement

I create attractive and practical items for the home using discarded glass: old bottles, windows, bottles, optical lenses, blowers' cullet and anything else I can get my hands on! My design inspirations are taken from nature, the beautiful natural colours of bottle glass lending themselves to landscapes and sky scenes. I am also fascinated by patterns; those found in textiles (knitting, crochet, lace) which I then incorporate into my work, and those found in architectural decoration. Techniques used include fusing, slumping, use of inclusions and enamelling. I use recycled equipment and materials obtained from skips, car boot sales and charity shops. My energy supplier uses wholly renewable sources and I optimise electricity use by filling my kiln and combining several processes in one firing. I get a great deal of pleasure from making beautiful items from something which would otherwise end up in a skip!