AMANDA GLANVILLE

When I’m not melting glass here in my Red Shed in Coventry, I’m travelling around the UK to share the tiny glass fun with you all at craft fairs, open studios and exhibitions.

I have a strong memory of being ‘allowed’ to play with the sugar in my Gran’s elaborate pressed glass sugar bowl. The tiny sweet glitter seemed magical to me and I’m sure that is why I’m drawn to small sparkly things.

I’ve worked in the performing and visual arts all my life, was once a window dresser for The Body Shop, and as a child made shoebox dolls houses and jam jar lid gardens. I have two claims to fame: I created a life sized wire and bead tiara for the ‘Floozie in the Jacuzzi’ statue in Birmingham and I have a piece in a national museum collection – my Tiny Glass Coronavirus was selected for the nation’s Covid 19 Collection which lives at the Science Museum in London.

I love to keep the flame burning with this disappearing craft and enjoy sharing your memories of glass makers at the seaside, ships in bottles and I have a growing Rescue Collection of unwanted little glass animals from charity shops.

My work melting glass often causes me to laugh out loud. I genuinely have great fun with the challenges I’m set by you all and I get great pleasure from wrestling with an idea to see how small I can go. Best of all is seeing the beaming face of the person it’s been made for.