Helen Eastham

Glass


Helen Eastham's Bio

I specialise in making unique, sculptural kiln formed glass vessels.  My inspiration comes from the coastal environment where I live.  Walking and exploring the coastline for 5 decades is a natural and essential part to my psyche.  Recognising the importance of this I create vessels where the designs have been abstracted from nature to materialise into sculptural artforms which have an ability to bring the outdoors indoors through a tangible glass object.

Each vessel has a narrative of its own where each design has the ability to connect me to a past experience of a walk along the beach or a day beach combing and rock pooling.  I aim for others to connect in their own way to my pieces where they may remember a walk along the coast with a loved one or they may dream or imagine a walk to a far off location its about bringing the outdoors indoors.

The materials and processes I utilise reinforce the connection with the coastal environment.  I use and draw with glass powders which are akin to working with sand.

The shape, form and colours I work with are connected to what I observe informed by the recurring shapes and colours seen in and around the coast: rockpools, sand-pools, crustaceans, fauna, flora, shells, mammals, birds, and tidal marks left by a receding tide to name a few.

My approach to my craft practice is explorative, playful, and organic, with each vessel informing the subsequent vessels to come.

Manipulating gravity, time and heat to create the form gives me a direct and organic connection to each piece which allows me to control the final form each artwork has.