Artist's statement

I am deeply concerned with the energy consumption required in the generation of glass objects and seek a methodology that will consume less energy, create less greenhouse gas emissions and recycle materials.

Glass manufacture has historically been an industry of high energy consumption from the de-forestisation of parts of Europe for wald glass to the advent of industrial processes as the result of American glass presses of the nineteenth century, to the bottle and float glass technology perfected in the twentieth century.

Industrially it is more expedient to melt ingredients and manufacture new vessels than recycle existing remaining ones. In my work I am seeking to redress the vast energy costs and the seemingly limitless scale of production of industrial container glass, that continues to litter the globe with small glass particles.

Over twenty years in studio glass I have been acutely aware of issues in creating multiple objects. As an artist I have benefited from a range of industrial techniques resulting in the flexibility to prototype in short runs, yet as a small studio business there also exists constraints dictated by economies of scale in order to be a viable business practice.

Currently I am working with recycled and found objects where production costs are significantly reduced, and my focus is upon design principles of composition, employing a sculptural emphasis often not explored because of the perceived limitations in using prefabricated glass.

I also strive to reuse the glass I make so that the studio has an estimated 10% waste rate as most coloured and contaminated glass can be recycled into architectural components.