A few weeks ago, I shared a couple of images over on social media of some new work I had made for a very specific and special customer.

Those of you who have known me personally for a number of years may recall my connection with the RAF – as well as my grandfather serving, my dear brother, Kevin worked as an Air Frames & Propulsion Technician on the incredibly significant Vintage Pair Display Team in the mid 1980s.   The Meteor and the Vampire were the first ever two jets in service for the RAF, and Kevin felt it was a tremendous honour to work on the team.  As a family, we were very proud, because we knew that he was amongst the best of the best to be allowed and to have the skill to keep these old birds flying.  Any technician is, and I admire them all, but imagine what it takes to work on a war-time jet.

Sadly, on 25th May, 1986, their was a mid air collision during the display RAF Mildenhall.  This first early example of the Meteor didn’t have ejector seats, and my brother Kevin and the pilot, Andy Potts lost their lives that day.

A few months ago, through a workshop, I met a lovely lady who is involved with the RAFA – the Royal Air Force Association, which supports and fund-raises for RAF members and their families.   And so, these items were created – COASTERS, and FRAMED PICTURES.  They’re now listed on the RAFA website for sale, and helping raise money for a very good cause.   I am very proud to be a part of this.

I have finally got around to planning in some more sessions! A few Introduction to Glass Fusing sessions.  These are full days where you learn to cut and break glass.  You will also have the opportunity to design and make several items.  We’ll work in window glass before moving on to colourful art glass and a few more techniques. Without blinding you with science, I will also tell you a little more about the properties of glass and how and why we can do so many wonderful things with it. All safety equipment and specialist tools are provided.

I’ve also added in a few taster sessions. On these, you are provided with glass blanks and you design and decorate your items with my vast array of coloured glass and accessories. No glass cutting is involved, just the freedom to get creative, so the day is shorter. These are ideal for those with a little less time on their hands, or who may be nervous at the prospect of cutting glass. People with hand strength or dexterity issues as well as younger participants can take part in these sessions too. It also serves as a great introduction to the world of glass fusing without committing to a full course. I would point out that the studio is a working space. Access is slightly restrictive because we have three steps at the entrance.

Session timings – any evening sessions will start around 6pm, but willing to be flexible with people’s commitments. Daytime tasters generally start mid to late morning, but again these can be flexible if need be.

*GIFT VOUCHER HOLDERS* – if you’ve got a gift voucher to redeem, please contact me directly to book onto one of these dates – Get in touch HERE if you have any questions or problems!

The dates and prices:

Happy New Year!  I know, we’re already nearly a week in, so I am a little bit late with my good wishes – but I mean it all the same!

It ended up being a crazy busy last few weeks of the 2018; it’s been a pretty good one for me (okay, that’s an understatement, it’s been a great year).  But it was also deeply tinged with sadness as I had to have my beloved cat, Clover, put to sleep about ten days before Christmas.  Not really how I wanted to begin a new year…

So I don’t get all maudlin, because I do miss her terribly, I am keeping this post brief, and just remembering her with love.

And it was love that inspired this piece I made to commission just before the holidays.  The idea came from a very lovely gentleman I have known for years (we happen to be related too!); together we developed it into this piece. I was thrilled with the results.

So, if you didn’t already know I took commissions, you do now.  Using these techniques, I can put pretty much any wording on, and colours of both glass and lettering, and font, can all be tailored to your needs.  Wouldn’t this make a fantastic wedding or special anniversary gift, or commemorate a special occasion?

I’ve been offering gift certificates of selected values towards workshops for quite some time now, and these have been very popular.

Because I can now offer bespoke workshop options where I can tailor the class to suit you, I am offering gift vouchers which can be used either as a deposit or full payments for a workshop, or towards to costs of buying or commissioning a piece of glass art from me.  All you need to do is select the amount you want to pay.

Please provide the email that you wish to send the voucher to, plus the name of who it is for – this will be linked to the voucher number for my records. Gift certificates will be valid for one year.

Once you’ve entered this information, click the ‘Pay Now’ and it will allow you to enter the value you wish to pay – it will default to a quantity of one, but you can, for example purchase one voucher for £50, or two vouchers for £25 and once you click continue, the amount will be for the total payable.  You don’t need to have a Paypal account, you can check out as a guest and enter your card details if you wish.