The process of making my glass begins with designing. My preferred method of drawing is in a tiny sketchbook and black pen which are always close to hand so that I may quickly jot down ideas. I always design / scribble mini sketches when I’m travelling on the London Underground.

Back in my studio I start to experiment and play with ideas in glass and initial prototypes are gradually refined. Only when I am happy with the final result will a design be replicated and sold.

Sheets of specialist art glass are carefully cut by hand. The glass can be clear, translucent or opaque colours. The cut glass is stacked and layered with other types of glass including:

Frit - small granules of glass

Stringers - thin rods of glass approximately 1mm diameter

Confetti - eggshell thin irregularly shaped shards

Dichroic - specialist art glass which has micro layer coating of Quartz Crystal and Metal Oxides on one side. Dichroic Glass two different colours depending on light conditions. It transmits colour (where light passes through the glass) and a completely different reflective colour (where light reflects off the glass).

The pieces of hand cut glass are the then layered with decorative embellishments before being placed on a ceramic shelf in a specialist kiln. The glass is fired in the kiln until the glass becomes molten in the high heat. Fire resistant paper on the kiln shelf prevents the molten glass from sticking to the shelf. The glass is gradually and accurately heated and slowly cooled – a process which takes over twenty four hours with some designs requiring multiple firings.

As each finished piece is hand crafted there are subtle variations resulting in a special, artisan gift.

To find out more about my processes and behind the scenes work in progress inside Seabird studio follow me on Instagram.