I was extremely fortunate to have been awarded the James C. Whitney Memorial Scholarship from the American Glass Guild this past February!! The grant enabled me to continue my professional development and funded an advanced etching workshop with American stained glass visionary Judith Schaechter!

During my scholarship, I etched six pieces of Lamberts mouth-blown flashed glass, using three different tools for etching; the sandblaster, rotary tool and diamond file. The diamond file, a technique unique to Judith Schaechter’s artistic practice, was such an inspiring reinvention from being just a mere finishing tool for cast glass! I was immediately inspired by its potential for mark making, and totally fell for the lush hazy effect it had on the glass. I enjoyed analysing the effects from variations in angle, It felt incredibly liberating to rely less on power tools when etching, and to etch in a way that felt more like drawing or painting.

It was enormously encouraging and reassuring to hear Judith’s artistic perspectives on having a creative glass practice. It was a long time since I had taken tuition from a true artist, and it highlighted for me, that it was not just her craftsmanship, but her outlook that had the biggest impact.

I prepared drawings of patterns and figures to experiment with beforehand. We deliberately reproduced these drawings onto interchangeable samples of the same size glass, so we could double-plate and clearly visualise what felt like limitless compositional combinations! This enabled me to maintain control over the process and study its transformation. This in itself was incredibly motivating and provided me with the creative insight needed to develop the technique.

Experimentation and innovation greatly influence my visual language and evolving narratives. I am extremely excited to continue developing my etching skills and use the technique as a core component in my future stained glass practice! It was fantastic to have Judith beckoning me on, encouraging me to be less cautious and to take each technical process a step further. She provided me with creative systems that not only liberated my etching approach, but informed my compositional decisions!

Throughout my stay, I also had the pleasure of meeting local Philly stained glass artist Rick Prigg and UK stained glass artist Glenn Carter. On the final night, Judith was extra sweet and organised a dinner altogether, I had a blast talking art with such an inspiring group of creatives, and the home-cooked vegetarian dinner was delish!!

I must thank the American Glass Guild and Judith Schaechter again for providing me with the opportunity to discover the true creative potential of etched glass!