Try glassblowing!
From fiery furnace to beautiful glass, we meet Cathryn Shilling who found an exciting hobby – and a new career – in glassblowing
It doesn’t get more mesmerising than watching molten glass on the end of an iron transform before your eyes into a beautiful piece of artwork. That’s why, ten years ago, Cathryn Shilling, a former graphic designer, decided she’d try her hand at learning a brand-new skill by taking up glassblowing. “I’d lived in America for a while during which time I’d taken up stained glassmaking as a hobby and fell in love with glass,” says Cathryn. “When I came back to the UK I wanted a new challenge and discovered Peter Layton’s London Glassblowing, where I took monthly classes.” To begin with, it was all about learning the basic process of glassblowing. “It starts by dipping a long iron rod into a pot of molten clear glass inside a furnace. You then turn the iron to gather a glob of glass on the end, which has the consistency of runny honey. Initially the glass on the end of the iron is shaped in wooden blocks that are soaked in water and a bubble is blown into the glass. Colour can then be added to the clear glass by rolling it in chips or powder made of coloured glass. All the while you have to keep popping your glass in reheating chambers called glory holes to keep it warm and malleable. Once it’s ready you then use newspaper between your hands to carefully handle it.” It’s a precise, delicate art that can take years to master. “The main challenge is to constantly keep your iron turning or else the glass falls off. It is very hot work and the glass can get fairly heavy on the end of your iron. Most pieces take about an hour to work but some of the bigger vessels other artists make can take up to six hours.” That’s why Cathryn now spends most of her time designing and assisting glass blows, as spinal cord surgery a few years ago left her with limited mobility. In 2010 she was also made a member of staff as gallery curator for London Glassblowing, and also sells the large glass vessels with decorative cloaks she’s now specialised in. This proves that despite glassblowing being a more expensive hobby – because of all the equipment involved – it can, with a bit of determination, eventually blossom into a new career. “Glassblowing has completely changed my life. I’ve met many people in the glass community around the world,” says Cathryn. What’s more anyone can try it. “It’s never too late to try glassblowing and I have students older than me in my class,” says Cathryn (60). “It’s an incredibly diverse art form in that you could give ten people the exact same tools, materials and colours and every one of them would create something different. It can be quite spontaneous, too, as sometimes unexpected things happen to the glass and you make something even better than what you’d originally planned. For me, it’s an opportunity to be creative and I love making extraordinary things.” London Glassblowing holds regular classes for beginners. Call 0207 403 2800, or visit londonglassblowing.co.uk For glassblowing studios across the UK, check your phone directory or Google ‘glassblowing UK’
‘The main challenge is to constantly keep your iron turning or else the glass falls off’