Putting fifty people in a hot room on a sunny day doesn’t sound like the best of ideas, but add one charismatic, world renowned glass blower to the mix and you’re on to a winner.
At least that was the case for us when Peter Layton came to talk about his life and work at Creative Glass Guild. Glass artists, students and collectors of his work came along to hear his inspiring story and the place was buzzing with excitement.
We heard about his background in ceramics, his introduction to glass in his early twenties and his love of it as a form. He went on to show us some examples of blown work by artists he admires and treated us to some insight on how they were made, the value of such work in today’s economic climate and the uncertain future of the glassblowing industry in the UK.
Peter founded London Glassblowing in 1976 and has been directing it from his current studio in Bermondsey since 2009. The studio is used by a small number of resident blowers from all over the world. Peter loves that they are able to guide and inspire each other and is proud of the nurturing atmosphere that they create as a collective.
We auctioned some incredible pieces of Peter’s work from the Tahiti, Lagoon, Giraffe and Ariel ranges and some lucky people took them home at great prices.
We’d like to thank everybody who came along to share the day with us, if you have any photos please send them in!