Clare Henshaw
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Yellow Bowl, 2008.
Free blown glass.
Photo credit: Ken Dickinson. -
Orange Gourd Vase, 2007.
Free blown glass vessel.
Photo credit: Clare Henshaw. -
Black Gourd Vase, 2007.
Free blown glass vessel.
Photo credit: Clare Henshaw. -
Sentient, 2008.
Free blown glass.
Photo credit: Ken Dickinson.
What inspires me
At Hereford Art College at Foundation level I became interested in working with light, which attracted me to work in glass. A residency at the Kosta Boda glass factory in Orrefors, Sweden, gave me an amazing opportunity to explore new ideas and to learn about the graal technique (engraving designs through coloured layers of glass), from the experts at the factory.
My absolute passion is for light and colour, refracted light and reflected light and all that experience of Sweden.
Making in the Midlands
I live on the very edge of the Midlands, on the Welsh border. Glass has a long heritage in the Midlands, particularly Stourbridge, and I did a project on the factories there when I was a student. I am a person who thrives much more in the countryside, away from towns and cities, for that light and space and relative calmness.
What has changed most about the crafts in the last thirty years
Since the studio glass movement started in the 1960s, the quality has absolutely increased and techniques have been pushed and stretched. There is some incredibly amazing work being made with high concentration colour. I feel very much that informing the public of the realities of being a maker today is very important, because I wonder if people consider the value of making a purchase in IKEA or actually investing in something that they value. A lot of us glass makers are becoming extinct because it’s become so expensive to buy the materials, which have gone up in price massively.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/of_ash_and_thorn/?hl=en
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