AXESS GLASS collaborative art awards 2020

What an exciting way to end our clandestine creative efforts that started in November last year!
We WON the Axess Glass collaborative sculpture - aquisitive award
 FOR NATURE'S SAKE - glass by Glenda MacNaughton/metalwork by us

We also won the
BEST IN SHOW - HIGHLY COMMENDED AWARD
​with
THE WEEDY SEADRAGON MATING DANCE
Glass artist David Hobday - copper and rivets by us

David Hobday was the glass artist who first reached out to me, and I was very excited as I had been wanting to collaborate with him and his gorgeous coloured glass for a while. We started chatting about possibilities and design themes we had in common. As a marine biologist in his past, the ocean and its creatures is a theme close to David's heart. When he suggested sea dragons and sea weed I was hooked!
After our first design meeting the addition of Abalone shells in the bottom section of glass allowed me to express myself with spirals. 
​The challenge was going to be connecting the glass sections!

Before and After glass was added......

THE PROCESS
Back in November I was told about this new collaborative award that was being introduced at the Festival of Glass.
​Designed to encourage glass artists to work with an artist who specialises in another medium. 
The brief was that the balance needed to be 75% glass/ 25% other.

After I had begun the design process with David, I was approached by Glenda MacNaughton, who is another well known glass artist from the Bellarine. I was put in a tricky position, but decided to give David the decision seeing as he was first to ask me. David graciously allowed me to work on the two projects after I realised that the two artworks were going to be vastly different.

Glenda predominantly hand blows her flame heated glass, while David is best known for his kiln formed fused glass. 
This also meant the two projects needed different approaches. 

Let's not forget that Rowan and I were already booked up with festive season orders and commissioned work that had been waiting most of the year........so I was relieved to figure out that I couldn't start on David's copper connector pieces until he had created all of his glass sections! Glenda's piece on the otherhand, required me to create the entire plant stems, base and stamens BEFORE she could add any of her blooms and leaves!!!!! This was quite a challenge to envisage what and where her pieces would sit, while still allowing the end result to look quite natural and wind swept......

This is what my section looked like! LOL..... I really had to keep my imagination alive!

I was so impressed with how Glenda finished off the sculpture!
The colours in the glass and the attention to detail was remarkable xxxxx
It was an absolute pleasure to work with her

I am also happy to say that David was very impressed with the way we attached the Seadragons via my copper fins,
and the gorgeous rivetting work that Rowan devised xxxxx
I also loved working with David and am blown away by the detail he achieved in the sea dragons.

Overall, I was honoured to be asked to collaborate by these two remarkable glass artists, and I look forward to future collaborative projects with them xxx

​WINNERS ARE GRINNERS!