Artist’s Statement:

Background:
My degree is in 3/D Design; I specialised in Ceramics and Glass and graduated with honours in 1984. Later I did an apprenticeship in Stained Glass painting, in Siena, where I worked mainly on a restoration project, for the new windows for St. Bernados church in Arezzo,Tuscany. On my return from that amazing experience I set up my own glass studio and have never looked back.
I ran my own successful stained glass business in the UK for 20 yrs and have many contemporary and traditional stained glass panels there and also in Germany, Italy, Canada and the US, both in ecclesiastic and private settings. Alongside that I have developed my own fused-glass techniques and have sold and exhibited widely at fairs and in galleries.
When not in my own studio, I have worked enthusiastically over the last 25 years as a community education teacher, teaching many crafts but mainly drawing and ceramics.

Current work:
Naturally, my work has changed dramatically since I moved to New Zealand 4 years ago.I enjoy making fused-glass artworks for exhibitions and fairs during the summer months and other work to commission during the rest of the year. My most recent commission was for 3 huge mirrors for a local builders' home.
I'm also delighted to open my small home gallery to the public by appointment. As well as pictures and mirrors, from the gallery I sell a range of my handmade glass jewelled and unique gift items. I am just starting to run affordable short workshops from home in pottery, drawing, basket weaving, papermaking and other fun crafts.

This Exhibition:
I use sketches as a starting point for my ideas. I cut out all the pieces of glass required for a piece. I work wearing a mask and goggles, and tweezers are needed for the finer details in metal. Transferring the piece to the kiln, without disturbing it, is often a challenge, as a cough or a sneeze can destroy a whole days work in a second! I enjoy the naturally occurring 'happy accidents' (and disasters) inevitable during any kiln-firing process. No matter how much I might try to contrive a piece, it is only in the firing process, when the materials melt and oxidise, that the qualities are formed which make each piece unique. I never tire of photographing and drawing the little details in nature which have inspired this exhibition work. I feel deeply attracted to the broad and varied features of our local landscape and am particularly drawn to the estuaries at the moment. I aim to produce glass-art that is lustrous and tactile, visually crisp, clean and contemporary.

For more information about my artwork and/or workshops I run, please see my website www.lynnprice.co.nz , or give me a ring on (03) 540 2178.