1. Most artists have a favorite medium, what is yours? If you work in multiple media, which one is the most enjoyable for you?

My favourite medium is glass. In particular, lampwork. My first love has always been glass, and I’m thrilled to finally get to work it myself, even lateish in life. My inner dragon is very, very happy.

I never could sculpt, or draw, or paint. But somehow, with my hands in front of a torch throwing a flame hot enough to boil glass, I can create things that were only possible in my wishes before.  I find I can use glass to express my often silly and blackish sense of humour.  Adding melting glass to more hot glass means I can build things I wouldn’t even have dreamed of before my inner dragon was woken.

2. Do you have any secret shortcuts? I mean, do you use odd tools, techniques, or anything else that isn’t strictly status-quo for your medium? How did you figure out that it worked?

LOL short-cuts is my middle name! So often, many glassworkers have to be resourceful in terms of tools and techniques. ‘Proper’ tools are expensive, so I have a lot of items that weren’t meant to be used as hot glass tools, which work just as well. Steel items, like cutlery can be used to great effect. One of my favourite tools is a simple flat-ended awl from a mini screwdriver set, while another is a steel apple/cheese corer. Even a pair of teabag tongs can be the go-to.  I’m always on the lookout for tools that I can use.  The best tool of all, however is a sense of humour. Without that, I’d hardly be making anything.

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