Stopped Clock Glass

Hello. Thought it was time I did a new intro post so in contrast to the last one which focused on my glass career, here's a few random bits about me...

I always start the day with coffee but end it with a cup of tea (all decaf).

In my twenties I visited Hong Kong four times and it still holds a special place in my heart.

Music is my daily source of inspiration/therapy/motivation, and I never stick to one genre.

By chance I saw the S*x Pistols play live in L.A., but my favourite gig was Download 2004 - the line up was incredible!

My house is full of plants and artwork, and I am still acquiring more of both.

I used to customise dolls and action figures which sold internationally, from as far as Australia to the USA.

The last country I visited was Morocco where we went surfing and sandboarding, both for the first time (I have the balance of a weeble!).

My favourite film is Pan's Labyrinth - my favourite soundtrack too.

I love a strategic board game, but can still beat my boys around a race track on video games.

My future goals include a lot of travelling, especially around Europe and South East Asia.

These 4 fabulous rings go on sale at 7pm tonight in my online store. Taking some photos today has given me a chance to appreciate the amazing skills of

Made from recycled silver, each one is custom made to neatly nestle the glass within. There are 2 different ring styles with the green and blue rings featuring a thinner rounded band, whilst the pink and orange have a wide flat band. All of them have a beautiful satin finish which works great in contrast with the watery reflective glass.

I still can't decide which one my favourite is!

I'll add a link in my stories when it's time.

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I will have lots of botanical stands to choose from at this Friday, which as you can see take on differing looks depending on the lighting. Place on a bright windowsill to witness the full range of colour as the sun travels across the sky and changes in tone throughout the day.

This Friday will be my last market until after summer, so if you were hoping to buy something from me in person in the near future, then be at Ruddington Maker's Night on 21st June.

It's always a great event with many makers spread across several venues throughout the village, and you will find me in the Methodist Church.

Here is my contribution to the online exhibition 'Cycles of Life'.

Nest Bowl ~ Green
"With added tactile details encircling the design, this green bowl features botanical remnants of real plants collected from the Nottinghamshire woodlands."

£98 + free p&p

DM me to purchase.

Check out their website to take a look at all of the wonderful glass works included.

Some of my new lightcatchers glowing in the afternoon sun at The Custard Factory

We're approaching the final hour of the summer market 2024. It's been great to have been a part of it. 😊

A few things from my online shop that are available now. I've been holding off adding more stock online until after my next two markets...

• This Saturday 15th - Digbeth, Birmingham with

• Next Friday 21st - Ruddington, Nottingham with

But once they're done, any remaining items will get listed online soon after.

One thing about this job is that no two weeks are ever the same. This last week has seen me running a 1:1 workshop, applying for various exhibition opportunities, and beginning work on a new product I've been planning on adding to my botanical range for a while (I'm hoping to have a few ready for my next two events this month, more news on that soon).

It can be a bit disorientating not having any kind of routine, and to be honest I do struggle with that at times, however it does make things more interesting and keeps boredom at bay - I wouldn't switch.

The image above is of some of my colour swatches in the studio. I have found these to be invaluable over the last year and so I plan to make quite a few more this summer. I love these yellowy brown hues and can envisage me leaning towards these more come the autumn.

3 weeks to the day was the launch of the first ever Craftworks at Shoreditch Town Hall.

It was such a great experience for me and I'm really glad I did it. It has given me a real confidence boost and helped me to assess where I fit in within the craft world and question where I want to be.

This no doubt will influence my work going forward as I experiment with more sculptural based art pieces. And the good news is I have rebooked my same stand for 2025! Looking forward to it already.

show

CALMING, THERAPEUTIC & DREAMY ~ are the words a very lovely lady used to describe my work today and I couldn't be more thrilled. These are the exact feelings I aim to infuse into my work, and the knowledge that others are experiencing these emotions when looking at my glass makes me very happy.

Who else is going to the Ruddington Maker's Night?

This will be my third year there. It's such a lovely evening with several venues across the village hosting multiple makers. I'm unsure yet as to what my exact location will be on the night, but I'll post an update once I know.

Let me know in the comments if you'll be there too.

SHAPE
Over the last few days I've enjoyed some downtime - going out, seeing friends and family, and just resting at home. The break has given me a chance to reflect on where I'm at with my work and how I want to move things forward design-wise.

Considering last year I focused on experimenting with colour and technique, this year I want to focus on shape. I'm keen to bring a flowing sense of fluidity to my work and will spend my summer playing with different ways of slumping the glass to achieve this.

I love these times, when you've chosen which path to tread but still don't know exactly where it will lead. Exciting!

My next event takes me to Birmingham next month with at The Custard Factory

It's a market I've wanted to do for a while so I am really chuffed that Jo & Carolyn invited me to be a part of it. With only 2 events a year, this Summer Market will no doubt be a great day and I will have lots of botanical glass art for you to choose from.

It's free entry and open 11-5.

I can now share with you this recent commissioned necklace I made for a surprise 50th birthday present. I love how it turned out! I haven't made much jewellery for a while now although I am obviously still open for commissions.

I will have quite a bit of jewellery on offer at a discounted price at the Seconds & Sale Market tomorrow at The Robin Hood in Sherwood. I will be bringing a selection of discontinued earrings and necklaces which no longer fit in with my current style and colour pallet, so I am letting many items go at half price or less. I will have other items for sale too, including a small range of my botanical pieces.

We will be open from 5pm until 9pm and there are loads of great makers there with their own bargains on offer. Hope you can make it.

It's already been 1 week since I went to London for .show at Shoreditch Town Hall. I'm still buzzing from the event. The standard of work on display was really high, so inspiring. The constant flow of people passing through were very enthusiastic about craft and I had many interesting conversations with people. The compliments on my work were a real confidence boost, and my stall neighbours were all wonderful. Here's a little shoutout to a few of them, go check out their fantastic work:


co.uk

The sun was in full force today making the colours of my glass shine so vividly! Thank you to all those who ventured out to Norwell to see our group Open Studios event. It was such a lovely weekend.

Thank you also to .studio and our host for being all together fabulous. 😚

I've been doing a lot of cold-working over the last few days to add some finishing touches to new pieces made especially for .show

Tomorrow morning I'll be heading to the capital to set up my stand in Shoreditch Town Hall, and I can't wait to see it all come together, and to see all of the inspiring work there (including many glass artists whose work I admire).

There is a packed schedule of fantastic talks lined up over the three days too which I'm really curious about.

As part of Craftworks is open 15th-17th May at Shoreditch Town Hall, and you can find my stand in the beautiful Assembly Hall.

Photo credit: Neil Pledger

I'm starting to get really excited/nervous for .show now, which is happening at Shoreditch Town Hall next week from 15th-17th May as part of

This Nest Bowl in stoney blue will be joining me there along with several others, plus a special XL one which I took out of the kiln this morning! I'm so pleased with it and I will take photos of it there on display to show you all.

It's fun choosing what to take to .show with me next week. Whilst the bigger pieces were designed especially for the event months ago, I also intend to take some smaller pieces handpicked from my current stock. I want to display a good selection of shapes and colours that all compliment each other without it feeling too crowded, and I think I'm nearly there with the combination that works best.

The beautiful sunshine streaming through my studio windows is definitely helping too!

I’m excited to be exhibiting at Jay Blades presents Craftworks next week, and over the next few days I'm looking forward to finalising the new pieces I've been working on especially for the event.

Taking place 15 – 17 May 2024 at Shoreditch Town Hall, Craftworks will host the ultimate collection of both traditional and contemporary makers exhibiting their craft, live panel sessions and workshops with master craftspeople and the finest minds in design.

Secure your free three-day pass now to join me at the must-see event of London Craft Week! Register now: https://craftworks.show/register-now/

Photo credit: Neil Pledger

I've been making the most of the extra space in my larger kiln lately. These semi-circular segments are part of a series of three large wall art pieces that I will be finalising next week. I designed them at the start of the year and I've slowly been working on the different components in-between other makes. It will be wonderful to see them all finally come together.

The sun shining on my glass today. 😍 More please!

Trying something new exploring pattern. Curious to see how this turns out.

It's the final few hours of our 'Uplifted' exhibition this afternoon, but if you missed it then don't worry, because two of us are continuing to exhibit together throughout May and the first week of June in Southwell. From tomorrow you can find a display of my glass, and dreamy paintings by at Southwell Library as part of the x 'Bringing Artists into View' exhibition.

There are a number of artists involved displaying their work alongside photographs of them taken by Neil Pledger, and the exhibitions are happening across three Nottinghamshire libraries - West Bridgford, Southwell and Worksop. See the OSNotts website for more details.

It's been a lovely day today starting with dropping some work off this morning with at Southwell Library for the 'Bringing Artists into View' exhibition.

Then a cafe lunch and chat with fellow artists and before a behind-the-scenes look at Gill's amazing studio space where ideas are being developed everywhere you look - I am definitely inspired to make a new mood board!

And finally I finished a couple of commissions that I'm really happy with and have got the thumbs up from the customers, phew!

Now just to get the kiln on so it can be working its magic overnight while I sleep. Happy days.

Here are some of the brand new pieces I'll be taking to Southwell Library tomorrow as part of the x 'Bringing Artists into View' exhibitions.

The exhibitions are happening across 3 Nottinghamshire libraries - Southwell, West Bridgford and Worksop, where not only will there be artist's work on display, but also a gallery of images of the artists at work in their studios taken by photographer Neil Pledger.

The opening date is this Saturday 27th April, and I will be at the launch event in West Bridgford with my friend and fellow exhibitor

I can't wait to see it all come together!

Adding some vibrancy to this dull and gloomy day! 🌧 Both of these bowls are currently in the 'Uplifted' exhibition at and our 'Meet the Artists' event is just around the corner, this Saturday from 12 until 5pm. All invited.

It's just 4 days until our 'Meet the Artists' event at 🥂 This Saturday, 12-5pm, you are invited to join me, and .weaver for complimentary drinks, a look around our 'Uplifted' exhibition, and a chat about all things art and craft.

We look forward to welcoming you there. 🙂

What are you up to next week?

After these Valentine roses dried up in their vase I couldn't bear to throw them out, so I pressed them in hopes of experimenting with them in the kiln. If they're ready I will be attempting this in the next few days. I think it might take a couple of firings to get the effect I'm after, but fingers crossed it goes well. 🤞

The 2024 Open Studios Notts brochures are out now, and look who made the cover! ☺️

During the months of May and June, many artists and makers across Nottinghamshire are opening their studio doors for you to pop in for a chat, a cuppa, and an exclusive look behind the scenes.

I will once again be joining the ever-so-lovely at her ceramics studio in Norwell, and this time she will also be hosting with her dreamy paintings and .studio with her botanical lino prints. More details coming soon.

The first few pages of the brochure are included here, but do visit the website to see the rest and find out what's happening near you.

Photo credit: Neil Pledger

This week I've been planning my set up as part of the x exhibition at Southwell Library.

I have been allotted a glass display cabinet within which I will be displaying a collection of work including botanical stands, coasters, and bowls, as a well as a one-off shallow plate and a brand new framed wall art piece.

I can't wait to deliver the work and see it all set up in a couple of weeks time! I'll be sure to share pics on here once it's ready and open to the public.