It’s easy to become overwhelmed when you’re faced with work by incredible artists.
American Dale Chihuly is one of the greatest glass sculptors on the planet, so naturally Will and Johnny were in awe when they travelled to London to see his latest exhibition at Kew Gardens, Chihuly: Reflections on Nature.
However, as we already know, Will’s been designing and blowing glass for quite a time now, so not only was he inspired by Chihuly, but a visit to the Mary Quant exhibition at the V&A also let him rediscover the beautiful glass bottles of the Chinese dynasties, and the exquisite Maurice Marinot collection.
Having returned to Langport with renewed enthusiasm, Will has put pencil to sketch book, to start work on his next exciting project for Shakspeare Glass – a selection of bottles with delicate stoppers.
In the world of glassblowing, nothing is quick. A design starts from an idea, which has to become a prototype – essentially it’s trial and error to create the right shape and finish, and this can take tens, or even hundreds of attempts to reach perfection. Both Will and Johnny will work from Will’s new bottle sketches to create pieces that reach the highest finish of glassblowing.
The benefit of this process for the consumer is that any piece is unique and will have gone through a journey. All Will’s pieces have a story behind them – right down to the colours he chooses.
So watch out for Will’s new collection of bottles, inspired by his London visit, and prepare to be as overwhelmed by their quality as Will and Johnny were with Dale Chihuly.