Louise Truslow

My life is full of passions – and art in various forms has always been part of it – but I never expected to find myself working full time as an artist after failing my Art A Level!  After almost 20 years focusing on performance arts, I returned to the visual arts through watercolours, adding oils several years later.  I then discovered the wonderful world of glassmaking and although I still love painting, most of my time these days is spent with boxes and jars of glass fragments.

My glass is kiln-formed and mostly recycled.  The majority of my work is made using broken lead-free crystal glass, but I also use bottle, float and discarded art glass. To ensure that my work is sustainable I use recycled materials and make reusable moulds or use no mould at all.  As far as possible everything involved in my process can be used again, and my solar panels help to make the firings eco-friendly.

I enjoy working with a single shape or theme and exploring variations through colour, size and type of glass used.  Starting with simple forms – a platter or vessel – I develop installations by expanding from those initial ideas.

Living on the coast gives me constant inspiration. Much of my work is associated with the sea – the rhythm of tides and the life within it.  I carry this theme through into the colours I generally use – blues, greens and aquas, as well as earth tones.

My creative process varies according to the project, but my main focus recently has been pushing the limits of sand-cast glass. I have been experimenting with a variety of forms and methods of production.  The series I am enjoying most at the moment is created from broken eggshells.  I have been gilding the resulting glass and other pieces with 22ct. gold, to produce art that started with discarded materials and ends up being something that is clearly precious.

I work in my Leigh-on-Sea studio and I welcome visitors (by appointment).  I exhibit both locally and around the country and I participate in the local art community through the annual Leigh Art Trail.