The International Year of Glass Garden at Chelsea came about through the vision and determination of curator and glass artist Gabrielle Argent. The stand represented artists including Layne Rowe, Lisa Pettibone, Anthony McCabe, Ian Godfrey, myself and Gabrielle herself.
The stand was overshadowed by trees and quite crowded, so my main glass sculpture, Sails, did not show as well as I had hoped, but every so often a shaft of sunlight created magic with it.
I described Sails as a stained glass window that has escaped and gone for a walk in the garden and that a two-dimensional medium has become three-dimensional. He got quite excited about that…
Searching, a group of three Vulturine Guineafowl I made of fused glass several years ago was also displayed.
I found the interaction between artworks interesting. There were a lot of pointy shapes that repeated and reflected.
Solas, a beautifully made pair of wings, showed very well against the backdrop of trees. One of the most common comments as the public approached the stand was, ‘Wow, is that made of glass?’
Layne explained how he made the feathers to anyone who was interested – and many were. Many also posed in front of the wings for an ‘angel photo’.
If you are interested in purchasing any items, please contact Gabrielle Argent through The Glass Garden Website to enquire:
Emma Butler-Cole Aiken Stained Glass 