Laura is a glass artist who creates interactive glass sculptures that encourage the audience to reconsider their perceived constraints of the material. She combines traditional glass making techniques such as glass blowing and lampworking, with digital design technologies and alternative materials to create pieces that challenge the idea that glass is too fragile to touch. She has a BA in Glass Design from the National College of Art & Design in Dublin, an MA in 3D Design Crafts from the Arts University Plymouth and experience working at Corning Museum of Glass, Olustvere Glass Studio, Estonia and LoCo Glass Studio. Laura currently works as a Glass Technical Tutor at the University for the Creative Arts and was selected to exhibit a new and ambitious body of work as part of Collect 2022.
QEST funding will enable Laura to attend a glass blowing masterclass at the Pilchuck Glass School in Washington, USA, with master glass blowers Boyd Sugiki and Lisa Zerkowitz, whose works are renowned for their precision of form and application of colour. This training will be vital in the continuation and development of her glass practice, and in future she plans to establish her own studio and work part time as an educator, sharing her skills with makers in the UK.
