Artist of the month
Nicola Cairns gives an explanation of her glass, techniques and influences
Glass has an inherent and seductive beauty, which I feel, cannot be rivaled. I believe strongly that it is enough that the piece is simply beautiful and that it will give a moment or lifetime of pleasure to the viewer or owner.
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My inspiration comes purely from my fascination with the material and the processes involved. I aim to create pieces which emphasise and explore the nature of the material as well as the techniques and making processes involved. |
My attraction to the material stems from its natural optical complexities, the way that it bends, reflects, transmits and absorbs light hence creating the most compelling and fascinating effects. I then explore, emphasise and manipulate these natural qualities through using various cutting techniques, different degrees of polishing and by using different thickness’ of glass.
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I am fascinated as much by the the making processes as I am with the final result. The form is extremely important yet incredibly simple. It is on purpose that the blown form is the most simple and natural shape to the glass blowing process. |
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I enjoy the contradiction between the hot and cold process, the natural blown form and the heavily manipulated final piece.
I try to convey through my work the different ways in which glass behaves during the different processes involved. The hot process, when the glass is fluid and cools to take its shape and the cold process when the glass is manipulated by carving, engraving and polishing.
The arrangement of the four single blown pieces into 'nests' mimics the blowing process when several gathers or layers of glass are taken from the furnace to build up the size and weight of the final piece. By deconstructing and separating the steps taken during making of the blown form I hope to both visualise the hot process and exaggerate and manipulate the optical effects achieved by the cold process.
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My current body of work concentrates fully on the coldworking processes. This has been made possible through receiving funding from the Scottish Arts Council to buy diamond coldworking equipment which allows me to thoroughly explore surface treatments such as engraving, polishing faceting and carving. |
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My work is becoming more organic through experiments with fire polishing (reheating the piece after the cold working process).
I hope that the viewer can find a new reflection, light effect or colo spectrum each time the piece is viewed and that the piece will be found as intriguing on its hundredth viewing as it was on its first.
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