CGS Discovery Day at the V&A

Each Discovery Day is open to all and designed to inspire people to enjoy the world of contemporary glass. There will be talks by practising glass artists, plus other activities during the day.

These include opportunities to meet and network with fellow makers and enthusiasts, join in a ‘Show and Tell’ session, with hands-on experiences of pieces of glass artwork and discussions about a range of glass techniques, plus a tour of the galleries.

‘The Devil is in the Detail’ talk by Cathryn Shilling and Anthony Scala

‘Reflections and Refractions’ talk by Colin Reid

‘There’s Always a New Beginning’ talk by Laura McKinley

‘35 Years in Architectural Glass’ talk by Martin Donlin

Trottola 2023

“There’s Always a New Beginning” with Laura McKinley

Throughout my career I have faced a lot of obstacles which have made me want to give up, but not giving up has led to new and exciting opportunities. I first studied glass at Buckinghamshire Chilterns University back in 2005 and was lucky to get a job at LoCo glass in Cirencester after I graduated.

In 2009 I decided to move to London and this is when I started working for London Glassblowing. This experience, although not hands on glassblowing, was priceless, learning about the background of running a gallery and selling work is something not all artists get the chance to do. However, I craved getting back into full time making, so took a huge leap of faith in leaving the gallery for a new beginning. I received a place to do my MA at the Royal College of Art. After graduating I co-founded a cold glass/kiln formed glass studio in Camberwell, London, with three fellow graduates.

My next new beginning is currently in progress, starting a new glass blowing/cold glass studio in Woolwich! With each opportunity I have learnt new glassmaking skills and my work has developed and matured in response to the challenges faced. In particular my time at the RCA allowed me to think more deeply about my interest in play and the inviting qualities of glass which are strong motifs throughout my work. I enjoy using the Italian technique of Incalmo, the hot joining of two separately blown glass bubbles of different colour to form one seamless piece. More recently I have begun using multiple elements within my sculptures, joining once cold and also including other materials.

Click here for more information and to get your tickets

Photoshoot at Vanguard Court Studio

Thank you to Alick Cotterill for the images

'Re - Gather' London Glassblowing 05.08.20 until 29.08.20

Online exhibition & in the gallery on Fridays & Saturdays

Left to right - Laura McKinley Imagine X & IX

London Glassblowing’s annual exhibition, GATHER, fell by the wayside in the wake of the pandemic, which meant that hardly anyone saw it.

It is being resurrected, and we are pleased to announce RE-GATHER, the resurgence of this outstanding show, principally as an online exhibition. It will also be on view in our gallery from Wednesday 5 August to Saturday 29 August by appointment and regularly on Fridays and Saturdays, when our gallery is open to the public.

It features exceptional work by many of the UK’s leading established Glass Artists and some of the most exciting emerging talents.

Gallery photographs courtesy of London Glassblowing

Gallery photographs courtesy of London Glassblowing

'Materia' Rosenfeld Porcini Gallery - Open until 28 September 2019

37 Rathbone Street, London, W1T 1NZ

Telephone: +44 [0]20 7637 1133

Opening Hours:
Monday – Friday 11-7pm
Saturday 11–6pm

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Rosenfeld porcini is pleased to present Materia, the gallery’s second themed exhibition this year. Featuring the work of 17 international artists, ‘Materia’ reflects on the idea of hierarchy of materials, historically a cornerstone, yet today made obsolete by the radical ‘democratisation’ of media which took places across the last century. Attempting to offer a glimpse on the ever more blurred line of demarcation between art and design, the exhibition juxtaposes practices based on the use of traditional materials with works which have only recently achieved the status of contemporary art.

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New Studio - Vanguard Court, Camberwell

Vanguard Court is home to around 50 artists and creative small businesses with a friendly, buzzing environment, I am happy to announce that three of my friends and I are in the process of starting our new studio here. Our group, including myself, consists of; Celia Dowson (Ceramicist and cast glass artist), Lola Lazaro Hinks (Cast glass artist), and Kaja Upelj (Cast glass artist). We are very excited to launch into this new venture together. Our studio will have cold glass and kiln formed glass facilities and hopefully in the not too distant future space to run classes.

Currently a work in process, watch this space!

First viewing - we fell in love with the space!

In need of some TLC!

Work begins!

Beautiful new floor

Beautifully painted.

Click HERE to find out more about the location and events at Vanguard Court.

Look out for more updates on our progress!

Final year at the RCA - Work in progress

“Art is serious play — a chance for children to glimpse their own creative power.”

                       - Grayson Perry.

I have always been intrigued by the playfulness and elegance of children's toys and how the forms invite engagement. Using hot glass I am exploring form, texture, scale, and space to excite the viewer.  In one group of objects I wish to draw the viewer in to explore the internal space, the play of light and shadow on the form and the optical qualities of solid glass. In another group I am playing with stacked components, using them like children's building blocks to create towers where each form, colour and texture has a relationship with the others, whether they are complimentary or shocking, comfortable or jarring. 

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Cesty Skla - Skin Deep with Louis Thompson and James Devereux

In the beautiful countryside, south east of Prague, there is a gorgeous glass school called Cesty Skla/Ways of Glass. I spent a week there as part of Louis Thompson and James Devereux's class 'Skin Deep,' learning new techniques and trying out ideas in preparation for the second year of my MA at the Royal College Of Art.

The hot shop 

Collection of work made over the week. Left - Laura McKinley, Right - Emma Baker

Corning Museum of Glass - ColourXForm with Anna Riley

Thanks to a Scholarship awarded to me from the Royal College of Art I was lucky enough to experience an amazing two weeks at Corning Museum of Glass and take part in the course ColourXFrom. This class was instructed by Anna Riley who was supported by teaching assistant Courtney McCloskey, both extremely talented glass blowers based in Brooklyn. Focusing on colour application in glass and the marriage between colour and form meant that I was able to experiment with techniques that I've not had the time to try back home.

The photograph above is a screen shot from the live stream demonstration of Anna Riley making an incalmo rondel which you can watch on the Museum's website by following this link. 

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The hot studio

Anna Riley's diagram of the incalmo technique

Choosing a colour pallette

Simple two colour incalmo vase

Breaking things is bound happen when learning new techniques, this is not always a bad thing! By dropping this piece on the floor I could see the potential in the use of cold working to show off the internal curve that I had created.

Inner fold 

Cut tests

Test piece using the inner fold technique

The Chemung River flowing through Corning

Corning Museum of Glass

A very exhausted but happy class!

MA Ceramics and Glass, Royal College of Art: Year One

It's been a while since I've posted as the RCA has taken over my life but I've been loving it!

These are some photos of final pieces and working shots from the second half of the year... enjoy!

The Food Project:

To create functional pieces inspired by a meal of our choosing, to eat from or display or serve food from. Spaghetti was my chosen dish and I wanted to express its look and playful nature within my forms. 

Below are a series of bowls I also made for the food project, again, inspired by spaghetti and using a technique called 'incalmio', this technique was traditionally used by Italian glass makers and involves constructing an object, usually a vessel, by fusing two or more blown glass elements. The process was first practiced in the Islamic world in the Middle Ages and demands great precision because the edges of the adjoining elements must have precisely the same diameter in order to create the look of one continuous piece of glass.

I've nearly completed my first year now and have an exciting summer to look forward to. I will be taking part in a two week programme at Corning Museum of Glass in The US with Anna Riley, an amazing glassblower based Brooklyn. The class will focus on the dialogue between form and colour in blown glass, developing skills and visual language, considering the potential for colour to enhance form, complement function, or convey meaning. I'll be posting photos and videos during my time there to keep you updated. 

New work showing during COLLECT at the Saatchi Gallery

COLLECT

Collect: The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects

Now in its 13th edition, Collect returns to the stunning setting of the Saatchi Gallery in London’s King's Road from 2 – 6 February 2017.

I will be showing my newest work during COLLECT at the Saatchi Gallery and would love you to come and see! Pictured below is Symbiosis VII in Sunset Gold - a colourway which I haven't used before! 

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First Term at The Royal College of Art

A History in the making: The V&A Project

We were asked to select just one object made before 1950 from the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Glass collection. We chose objects which intrigued us, or held a certain resonance for us, and crucially would move us into unfamiliar territory. Research was undertaken to explore the questions below.

Its provenance:

What it is, When it was made, Who it was made for, Who made it? What role does it fulfil?

Its embedded technology:

What it is made of, how it was made

We were then required to transfer our findings into a contemporary context, creating an object or series of objects which in some way would fulfil the same role as our original chosen object.

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Childlike Abandon:

Free blown glass with cane detail. Bronze cast, brass and found objects, 23ct Gold plate.

My goblets are inspired by a 16th Century Bavarian drinking game glass. Drinking games were popular in many European countries at this time and special objects were made to promote alcohol consumption in a social and playful  manner. When consuming alcohol the tendency is to revert back to a childlike state and it is this that has inspired my intriguing and playful drinking goblets.

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Below are the original objects from the Victoria & Albert Museum.

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Goblet, blown filigree glass, with gilt metal mount, probably southern Germany, 1550-1625

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Goblet, blown filigree glass, probably Southern Netherlands (possibly Antwerp), 1550-1625

Zwieseler Glastage 2016

The International Art-Glass Exhibition will take place from 6th August - 3rd October 2016 in the town of Zwiesel in Germany.

The Zwieseler Glastage is possibly one of the worlds most prestigious displays of artistic talent in glass and I am thrilled to be involved. In 2012 they celebrated 25 years of the Glastage; over the years both technical and artistic advancement has exceeded all expectations, and we must be thankful to the “Arbeitskreis Glas” for their vision to put their ideas in motion. This highly motivated group, working together with the Zwiesel Town council produce year on year an event that set new standards in the world of glass. The complete spectrum of traditional and modern glass art is represented, from Industrial to unique handmade pieces from the finest local and International glass artists.

Below are a couple of photos of my Rest Vases in the exhibition space.

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Rest Vases

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Thank you to Nancy Sutcliffe, a very talented glassmaker for these photos of the show.

Thank you to http://glastage.zwiesel.de for the image - click link to see more information.

Nunhead Art Trail

I will soon be taking part in this years Nunhead Art Trail from 24th - 25th September.

Over the last few weeks I have been spending a lot of time enjoying my other passion...gardening! Since the weather has been getting better I've been loving reproducing succulents and watching them grow and flower, I thought it would be a great idea to make these gorgeous little plants some glassy homes. These are all still works in progress so check back for photos of the finished pieces. I'll be selling these at the Art Trail along with some new sculptural works so I really hope to see you there!

Studio floor chalk drawing of a wide bowl on the blowing iron.

Some rough sketches and colour ideas for the days making plan. 

These are some photos from my sketch book and a drawing on the hot shop floor to refer to whilst making the bowls, along with some freshly made pieces coming out of the kiln.

Wide bowls, ready for planting!

My collection of succulents, not quite ready for planting yet!

Single plater terrariums fresh out of the kiln...bigger than they look!

Photo shoot day - There's some new work on it's way.......

I had a long and productive day today with an amazing photographer, Ester Segarra, shooting my new work. These pieces have never been seen before and some will be exhibited in the gallery at London Glassblowing during their 40th anniversary show, Recollections: 20.05.16 - 11.06.16. For this exhibition artists have been asked to revisit past creations; to go beyond previous explorations and develop new and inspiring works that look towards the future. I thought this would be a great opportunity to reconnect with my university tutor, Richard Price, and start a working relationship to produce a new body of work that can be developed in the future. See my previous post for a short video of us both working in my old studio in the university, this brought back some great memories!

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New collaboration with Richard Price.

Laura McKinley and Richard Price in the studio from London Glassblowing on Vimeo.

More information and photos coming soon...

BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour

Before Rushka and I held our exhibition, A Slant of Light, at Nancy Victor Gallery in London, she contacted BBC Radio 4 (with reluctance from me, as the idea of being on the radio filled me with nerves) in hope that they would, in some way, like to feature us. Nothing came of this so we thought no more of it. In mid November I had a very excited Rushka on the phone to let me know that BBC Radio 4's, Woman's Hour had contacted her and wanted to feature us as 'Artists In Their Studios' during their show, listeners week.

Rushka is now studying for her MA in Glasgow so they sent a Scottish reporter to her studio and they sent the lovely Louise Adamson to interview me in my studio on Bermondsey Street. Louise was great and I felt instantly at ease, any previous nerves had melted away.
The interview went really well and I am thrilled that I had this rare opportunity to feature on a widely listened to radio show talking about something that I am so passionate about.

Follow the link below to listen to the interview, aired on the 2nd December 2015. The interview begins at 18:30.

London Craft Week

I was fortunate enough to have the image of my Dondolo pieces chosen for the Wall Street International online to represent
London Craft Week 2015:

A Slant of Light, exhibition photos

I have finally found the time to add these images of mine and Rushka's show.  We really appreciate all of the support we received, it was an amazing experience!  Enjoy the photos!

'A Slant of Light' Exhibition preparations

I am very excited to be exhibiting my new work along side my very good friend and amazing print maker, Rushka Gray, at Nancy Victor Gallery from 24th-29th August.

Flyers printed, posters printed, ready for set up!