COMMENT FROM ARTIST PAUL CRITCHLEY:
From a very young age I have always enjoyed drawing, painting and sculpting images and forms of the world around me. Of all the materials I have used, glass is the most challenging and beautiful one to work with. While molten it demands great respect and fluid responses while it radiates heat and changes its malleability as it cools, is worked and re-heated. Each piece takes its own journey, touched by both traditional and fabricated tools and resulting in new experiences and techniques being learnt. Keeping an open mind to accidents and retaining a sense of play with the glass is essential in furthering the development of my work. When a piece I have been developing over several months is finally realised, the feeling of achievement is fantastic.
