KATIE STOKER 

 
Little did I know that the day I discovered glass fusing while doing a Level 4 Art and Design Foundation Course at Coleg Powys in Newtown, would be the beginning of a great new love. I then went on to study City and Guilds Creative Glass at Westhope Craft College near Craven Arms. After making several stained glass pieces, I settled on glass fusing.
 
My glass hangings are inspired very much by my love of plants, trees and birds.  A keen gardener, amateur twitcher and regular dog walker provide plenty of ideas to be recreated in fused glass.  The coloured pieces are made using Bullseye, Tektra and Dichroic glasses which come in sheets and have to be cut, ground and shaped and are time consuming in their process.  This is reflected in their prices but they are beautiful, colourful, sparkling pieces of art which will give you great pleasure.
 
I  also work with window glass, crushed bottles, foils including chocolate wrappers and butter/yoghurt lids.  Experimentation is the name of the game and has resulted in some unique techniques. Photos are taken which are then traced using glass stains and clove oil with pen nibs known as "nib and oil".  Tracing cuts down the time taken (an oak tree can still take 2-3 hours) and therefore the cost helping to make a more affordable range. These can be hung on a wall as well as in windows.