Why I love vintage glass

As I’ve previously blogged, a love of vintage is something that has been with me since a very early age.  That enjoyment I hope comes across in all my posts, and encompasses a wide area of interest, from board games to random street furniture (though that’s probably a post for another day).  Vintage glass though, seems to have captured my imagination more than anything else and I was pondering upon why this might be last night.

First of all, glass has got to have some of the best green credentials of any material known to (or at least created by) man.  It is produced from 100% natural materials and once created, is infinitely recyclable and reusable.  According to the organisation Friends of Glass, one ton of recycled glass saves 1.2 tons of raw materials, and saves 700kg of CO2 emissions.  Always a good start and part of the reason that I do what I do.  I’m afraid what really pleases me about vintage glass though, is much less worthy than that.  It’s because it is beautiful.

Souvenir glass from Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations of 1887 – recently discovered at a car boot sale.

I am constantly amazed by the sheer variety of colours, forms and patterns that can be found, not just in vintage glass but going back over hundreds and even thousands of years.  I’m always fascinated by the painted Roman glass found in places like Vindolanda (scroll through the photos in this article to see the piece I mean) but almost equally enjoy the cheap pressed souvenir glass produced by the ton in the Victorian period.  Here’s one I found earlier (inset).

Moving into the 20th century, and especially looking at Art Deco glass, the designs just explode with colour and shape.  Just looking at my collection of trinket dishes (and it’s an extensive collection), virtually every one is different.  I do feel I should be cataloguing all the different types, but that’s probably just the archaeologist in me.

Just a small selection of the myriad colours and forms found in vintage glass trinket boxes.

Oranges, pinks, greens, blues, cranberry and amber, white glass and smoky glass, pressed, cut, bobbly and geometric, pedestalled, flat-bottomed, circular and square.  The beauty of it is that I never know what I’m going to find the next time I step into a junk shop or call into the local car boot sale.  The difficulty is, knowing when to stop!

Crafted for You – exhibiting now!

Well – we officially have our upcycled vintage glassware on display at Worcester City Museum & Art Gallery!  This time, it’s not just a handful of items in the craft case, but a space in one of the main galleries.  It’s been such an enjoyable year getting to this point, and I’ve been developing my ideas rapidly, trying new things and exploring new ways of displaying material.  The Crafted for You exhibition which runs until early January, feels like a fantastic end to what has been a very busy year. I’m excited to be sharing the space with gorgeous ceramics, silver work, scrap metal sculptures, felt work and textiles.  Well worth a visit (alongside the World War One: In the Words of Worcestershire People exhibition, also on now at Worcester City Museum) and one way of getting ahead with your Christmas shopping, as all items are for sale, and all unique!

A view towards the Decadia Designs glassware display, with Alison Dupernex‘s beautiful, wearable art in the foreground.

On the countdown to Christmas.. already!

Upcycled wine glass tealight holders

Christmas comes early in the life of a crafter.  We still have a whole 55 days to go as I write, but if I’m honest, I’ve been preparing for a number of weeks already.  It’s the busiest time of year for my upcycled glassware, partly because I give away plenty of them myself to friends and family, but also because, they are so bright and festive-looking that they lend themselves well to Christmas fairs, candlelit house parties and the like.  As a result, I have to build up rather a large amount of handcrafted items in readiness; I’m literally burning the candle at both ends!

The good news is, that following on from a successful Craft case exhibition at Worcester Museum and Art Gallery over the summer, I was invited to exhibit again as part of the annual Christmas craft showcase – Crafted For You – running from the 8th November, to early 2015. This is rather exciting as we will be upstairs in one of the main galleries alongside all sorts of other fabulous craft displays!

Arthur, the feline silhouette

Three large boxes of glassware have been loaded into the car, ready for delivery, and I’m really pleased with the variety that I’m able to display.  2014 has been a year of trying new ideas and honing techniques, and I hope this will be evident in the range of quirky pieces that are being exhibited.  I’ve included a few here, to give you a flavour, but would be so pleased if lots of people called in to the Art Gallery for a mooch!  It’s always worth combining with a trip to the Balcony Cafe while you’re there, and of course, having a browse of the fantastic museum displays, which include archaeology, geology, natural and social history.  If you’ve got young children it caters for them too, with an activity space where they can get stuck in with the Duplo or be inspired to do a bit of drawing.

Please do get in touch and let me know what you think!