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Meet the Maker : Pinkie Mclure

synopsis

‘I’m a self-taught artist using the inherent power of stained glass to tell my own stories.

Stained glass was invented by churches to communicate to a largely illiterate population, its vivid colours having a seductive quality that’s hard to resist. Its narrative role, however, has been largely lost in the last century – the medium has been downgraded to be merely decorative, or secondary to architecture.

This is something I am changing by making autonomous, challenging, funny and complex work that scrutinises contemporary life.

I use a variety of techniques both traditional and experimental, such as sandblasting, layering, engraving and mixed media. Light boxes can be hung on a wall just like a painting and look 3D and dramatic in a dimly lit space.

I want to both seduce the eye and to communicate, using this ancient medium to question the absurdity of human behaviour and link the characters and events of the past with those of today.’

credits

A North Lands Creative Production made possible with support from Creative Europe & Creative Scotland In Partnership with – ISGNE, Glass Point, NCAD, Berlin Glas Ev. 

Image: Tree of Life and Death Scenarios

 

Film: Ewan Stewart – Filmmaker

ARTIST BIO
Pinkie Maclure

Pinkie Maclure is an award-winning Scottish artist who uses stained glass to tell contemporary stories, linking the characters and events of the past with the world today.

 

A self-taught artist, she grew up drawing prolifically, but was put off by a sexist art teacher and gave up visual art until she was in her fifties. She had, however, spent her forties helping a friend to make domestic stained glass windows and became excited about the possibilities of using the medium to tell stories.

 

She is bewitched by medieval glass, with its dark humour and fine detail. In 2015, she started making more personal, finely-detailed pieces to display in light boxes, like glowing paintings.

 

Through a process of trial and error, she has taught herself to paint and fire imagery on glass. Working with hand blown glass, a sandblaster and a drill, she uses a variety of experimental techniques, including layering, engraving and diamond filing.

 

Initially considered an ‘outsider’ artist, because of her background and the personal nature of her work, she was quickly noticed by curators at the National Museum of Scotland who purchased a piece by her in 2020, leading to wider recognition of her work. 

VIEW ARTIST PROFILE
return to glass lives

glass lives 2022

Glass Lives explores the human relationship with glass making and material. Uncovering some of the exceptional European master artisans using long-held traditions, skills and knowledge.

 

Glass Lives celebrates the visionary embodiment of both creativity and craftsmanship by European master artisans at the highest level of excellence. Supported by the EU Creative Europe Programme, collaboration lies at the heart of what the ISGNE network represents, encouraging exchange and fostering a sense of building a stronger glass community.

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