Stained Glass is a fascinating medium to work with. It is available in many varieties, colours and textures. “Handblown’, or antique glass, is the most beautiful because of it’s irregularities, and occasional bubbles, which effect the light that it transmits. I love to draw and translate my sketches into a design for glass: see how I can use the glass to my ideas. I use the copper foil technique because it allows me to create light and fluid lines.

Working with glass is labour intensive and can be a challenge because of the nature of the medium. Even though I select my glass in daylight and combine it on a light table, the panel is worked on and assembled on a plywood base. I am never quite certain about the end result until the panel is framed and I can view it at various light exposures. Glass that is transparent and light in daylight will look dark at night; the reverse is true for opalescent glass. Stained glass is most beautiful viewed in daylight. Because of the dramatic light changes an east or west exposure is more interesting than a north or south exposure.

On the whole, when starting a new project I let myself be guided by the beauty of the glass and hope to use this to the best advantage in my design.