Artist statement
The sculptural form of my work is the result of observing the natural forces that shape both natural and man-made environments. Little seedlings push up out of the soil, fighting the pull of the earth. Wrought by this elemental force, their forms pull, twist, bend and hang against the weight of the effort. Equally, the urban environment is affected: a plastic bag caught in roadside bushes reveals the complex movements of wind and gravity combined. Glass is an ideal material to record these phenomena, as it is extremely elastic at high temperatures and can be magically frozen mid-process at a high point of tension. More than the transparency of glass, I am intrigued by its capacity to make this ordinary event visible. The transformation from fluidity to solidity is the most extraordinary quality of glass.
Concepts and form run parallel during the development of my work. While the search for form and finish are an intuitive process, concepts evolve through a gathering and analysis of mental images that emerge from questions about the status quo. Currently my interests centre on the place where man and nature meet. What is our relationship with nature? Often we treat the environment as something quite apart from ourselves, a decorative element at best.
By placing my work outside I am attempting to reconcile this tenuous relationship. This has meant that some pieces will merge with their surroundings. By employing surface treatments that camouflage and create illusion I am able to draw the viewer into work that presents opposing ideas where the edginess of man is disguised in the form of nature. This is a vital aspect of my work: simplicity and strength in form but always relevant to its environment whether placed inside or out.
Qualifications and training
- 2005 BA (Hons) Three Dimensional Design in Glass, 1st class, Surrey Institute for Art and Design, Farnham, Surrey
Group exhibitions
- 2013 Aesthetica Art Prize, York St Mary, York, UK
- 2013 New Glass–Ancient Skill, Blackwell Arts & Crafts House (w Contemporary Glass Society), Bowness-on Windermere, Cumbria, UK
- 2009 Surrey Artists Open Studios, Lea End Workshop, Burrows Lea Farm, Shere
- 2009 Artspace 2009, Barn Galleries, Henley, Oxon
- 2008 Art in the Garden, Hillier Gardens, Hampshire
- 2008 The Sculpture Show, Trull House, Tetbury, Glos
- 2007 Hampton Court Flower Show, London Garden Design Company, Hampton Court
- 2007 The Last Parade, Tilthams Farm Gallery, Godalming, Surrey
- 2006 Liquid Light (established and emerging glass artists), Rook Lane Chapel, Frome, Somerset
- 2006 The Sculpture Show (garden sculpture), Marle Place Gardens, Brenchley, Kent
- 2006 The Sculpture Show (garden sculpture), Stone House Manor Gardens, Wyck Rissington, nr Stow on the Wold, Gls
- 2005 New London Glass at Designers Block, Nichols and Clarke Building, Shoreditch High Street, London
Public commissions
- 2012 Optical Tree and Negative Window, National Trust, Lacock Abbey and Fox Talbot Museum, Lacock Abbey Garden, Wiltshire, UK
- 2005 Children's Chapel Glass Screen, Holy Trinity Church Bramley, Bramley, Surrey
Competitions, prizes and awards
- 2012 Aesthetica Art Prize longlisted artist, Aesthetica Magazine at York St Mary, York, UK
- 2005 International Takifuji Art Award, Takifuji Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
- 2004 Bombay Sapphire Martini Glass Competition, shortlisted for presentation, New Designers, Business Design Centre, London
- 2004 Holding Up the Mirror, South East winner, Chemical Industries Association, London
Site specific
- 2013 Offering (glass table sculpture), Unravelled at The Vyne, The Vyne, nr Basingstoke, Hampshire
Personal website
