What does it mean to you to join the North Lands Creative network and be part of building a community for glass?

Great to be part of a lively creative community, working together promoting glass and sharing knowledge.

Tell us about your work. What influences translate into your art practice?

My work is mainly cast glass, although the last few years I have started on a body of work using fused glass and neon. I am influenced by growing up and still living on a farm and the feeling of space that that gives, also by my training in and love of architecture. I have always been interested in neon since studying at Koninklijke Academie voor Schone Kunst in Gent, Belgium in the early 90’s, there were a lot of derelict textile factories then and I used to use old neon transformers from them to make spark machine sculptures.

What initially captured your imagination about glass?

Whilst studying for a degree in architecture, we had a brief to design a genetic science lab, I designed a building with a cast glass frontage and columns and wanted to know how to make these.

What’s the significance of the handmade to you?

Individuality uniqueness.

What was your route to becoming an artist?

I started off working in farming and gunsmithing when I first left school but then decided to go to art college and the route went from spatial design, to architecture, to site-specific sculpture and then glass.

What is your chosen medium and what are your techniques?

Cast Glass and installation art and more recently neon.