Collection: Marilyn Griffiths : Glass : Swansea

I studied stained glass at Swansea Metropolitan,  I also taught at the stained glass department and undertook several stained glass commissions. Since 2019 my growing interest in warm glass has resulted in working with heat and gravity to create vessels using sheet glass and powders to regulate colour. The resulting pieces are further worked by hand-lapping and sandblasting to their final shape and finish. My fascination with the sea, the ever changing light, and the life along the shoreline the coast provides inspiration for my work. 

I take my inspiration from the Gower beaches, particularly from the variety of pebbles found on the shorelines. I enjoy the challenge of working with a monochrome pallet, particularly as glass offers such a colourful pallet. The experience of working with a variety of whites and greys in glass has challenged me to understand the effects heat and different metallic compounds within the glass have on each other. The results, often surprising and delightful enable me to push the boundaries and experiment to create textures and new variations. 

The vessels are formed through fusing glasses that react chemically to each other, in a kiln at 804 degrees. After annealing and  cooling the glass is sandblasted before being returned to the kiln and manipulated through heat and gravity to achieve their unique shape and tonal variations. They are finally cold worked by hand to achieve the final finish.