MY CREATIVE PROCESS
GLASS ARTISTEVERY SCULPTURE BEGINS WITH DAYS OF PATIENT MAKING, FIRING AND DISCOVERY IN DEBORAH'S WEST SUSSEX STUDIO
Selected Maker with the Crafts Council.
Museum collected.
Showing at Collect, Somerset House, London 2026.
This is the spot on my website where I take you behind the scenes and show you some images from my making process.
This time I thought I would show you where I work – it’s on the Borde Hill Estate just north of Haywards Heath – 13 miles through country lanes from where I live in Horsham. I’ve been here about 10 years.
It’s a converted stable, down a little lane. It’s a perfect place to think and work creatively, I can even use it as my photography studio!
I love the whole creative journey of my rocky sculptures, from the inspiration to the making!
It starts with a love of the landscape. I want to make pieces which are evocative of the land, sky and sea, contrasting the defined edges of rocky outcrops, waterfalls, tree lines, stone walls, etc, with the softness of adjacent vegetation. The colours echo the surroundings and maybe some rays of sunlight!
So, with this in mind, I plan my composition with tentative sketches, evolving into a design which I follow quite closely. Once happy it’s time to start constructing with glass. I use billets of coloured glass, which I break up into chunks using a glass cutter and a hammer to make pieces to correspond with my drawing; this is my glass paint palette!
I build up the sculpture, looking for strong colour combinations of adjacent blocks – when the glass melts in the kiln, the colours merge, giving a sort of watercolour effect which can be very beautiful. I also want to create a chunky relief
Then it’s into the kiln. The large pieces are heavy to move, up to 14K. I pack a mould mix all around the glass, tight in some places and looser in others so the glass has room to move – suggesting the softness of moss and grasses around the rocks.
Large pieces are in the kiln for 5 days. The glass fully melts at the top temperature of 800C. The kiln is programmed to bring the temperature down slowly and I don’t unload the sculpture until it’s cold so the glass doesn’t crack.
Then the piece is cleaned of the plaster, this is ‘the big reveal’ – has it worked?! Then some cold working on the flat bed grinder and a hand held drill. And finally the piece is photographed.
Alpine View
When creating my sculptures which are based on the landscape I aim to create a sense of place and concept. This piece is ambitious as it’s 3 pieces to be viewed as a group which create a feeling of looking all around at the scenery rather than from a static perspective. The colours are reflecting an early morning, the bright light of noon and late afternoon golden hour.
The set is based on my recent trip to Slovenia. From one vantage point you can experience the pink sunrise over the distant mountain peaks. Slightly nearer is a tapestry of colours of the larch forest covering the mountain side at the end of the day. And in the foreground is a mountain waterfall, crisp and clear in high noon sunlight, water tumbling into a pool, surrounded by pink and green vegetation
The pieces work alone but together the scale suggests perspective and immersion in the surroundings.
My compositions suggest elements of the landscape placed harmoniously together, contrasting defined edges with the softness of surrounding vegetation. The blocks of colour echo the surrounding landscape, water and sky.
I am inspired by the British landscape and the Alpes where I recently did a photography course which made me look carefully at colour and composition. As well as developing my photography skills!
The sculptures are open cast in the kiln. I can work intuitively because I have spent time in the landscape which first inspired me and where I have considered the photographic compositions. Then I make some drawings which abstract the colours and emphasise the horizontals and vertical elements of the piece. While I am building the sculpture I look for a combination of depth and transparency.
Below are three pieces inspored by my travels: Pink sunrise over distant mountains, Waterfall in crisp noon light and Larch forest at golden hour
SEE UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS
Glass is one of those materials that really comes alive when you can stand in front of it. If you are curious to see Deborah’s sculptures and bowls in person, her work is always available at the London Glassblowing Gallery on Bermondsey Street, SE1, and through Boha Glass online and in gallery. She is also selected to show at Collect 2026 at Somerset House in London, presented by the Crafts Council, which is one of the most prestigious platforms for contemporary craft in the world.
Beyond London, Deborah shows at carefully chosen exhibitions and galleries throughout the year. Keep an eye on the exhibitions page for upcoming dates, or sign up to her newsletter to be the first to hear about new shows near you.
