Artist, pioneer, mentor and founder of London Glassblowing, Peter Layton is one of the fathers of British studio glass. Now 88 and among the world's oldest actively practising glass artists, he discovered the medium while teaching ceramics in the US in the mid-1960s, and has played a defining role in elevating glass from an industrial material to a highly collectable art form. This year, London Glassblowing celebrates its 50th anniversary - a testament to his enduring vision and generosity of spirit. The studio has nurtured and produced some of the world's leading glass artists, and continues to do so to this day.

Tim Rawlinson studied Architecture at Brighton University before discovering his true calling in Ceramics and Glass at Buckinghamshire New University. Graduating in 2011, he exhibited his degree work at New Designers, where he met Peter Layton and was subsequently invited to London Glassblowing for work experience. He has been an invaluable member of the team ever since, setting up and managing the cold studio, and has established himself internationally as a leading glass artist. As the next generation of London Glassblowing, Tim carries the studio's vision forward - a natural continuation of the legacy Peter has spent five decades building.

Anna discovered glass in 2001 during the final months of her BA in Fine Art and was immediately captivated by its material qualities and creative possibilities. She developed this fascination at Westminster Adult Education Service, attaining higher national qualifications in kilnformed glass under the mentorship of Angela Thwaites. Anna further expanded her technical knowledge and practice through collaborations with glass artists including Peter Layton and Dale Chihuly. After teaching kilnformed glass at Westminster Adult Education Service for over a decade, she completed her MA in Glass and Ceramics at the Royal College of Art. Now based in London, Anna creates sculptural glass forms that explore relationships between the self, others and the surrounding environment. Through negative space, contrasting surfaces and textures, she gives form to what is often felt but unseen.

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Alison Kinnaird MBE MA FGE is an internationally renowned glass artist, with work held in public, private and royal collections worldwide, including the V&A Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass, New York, the Tutsek Foundation, Munich, the Scottish National Portrait Gallery and the Royal Museum. She combines ancient engraving techniques with modern lighting technology in works ranging from intimate pieces to architectural-scale installations. Alison is also widely respected as a lecturer and teacher, and is known for her contribution to Scottish music.

Alison Lowry is a glass artist based in Saintfield, Northern Ireland, working from her studio, Schoolhouse Glass. She has received numerous accolades throughout her career, most recently winning second place at the Coburg International Glass Prize in 2022. Her work has gained national and international recognition, with pieces held in public collections. Her project (A)Dressing our hidden truths, shown at the National Museum of Ireland (2019–present), was one of the first institutional acknowledgements of the Magdalene Laundries in Ireland and was subsequently acquired for the museum’s permanent collection.

Amanda Simmons originally trained as a telecommunications engineer and then as a clinical perfusionist before discovering glass in 2002. She trained at Westminster College and Central Saint Martins in London before relocating to Dumfries and Galloway in 2005.

Her practice focuses on glass powders and sheet glass, creating three-dimensional vessel forms using gravity. Over the past 20 years she has explored mass, heat, time and gravity to produce vessels and wall works in intense colour and pattern. Using opaque glass powders that react to light, she builds layered surfaces where drawing becomes integral to form. Her work is exhibited internationally, including the British Glass Biennale, Pattern at Pittsburgh Glass Center, and We are Crow at The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh. Her work is held in public collections including the National Museum of Scotland, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Perth Museum and Art Gallery, and Ernsting-Stiftung Glass Museum, Germany.

Anthony Scala's fascination with glass started at the age of eight after a visit to London Glassblowing. With 20 years of experience working with glass and renowned for his exceptional precision, Anthony has become a highly regarded practitioner in the field of coldworking. He has developed a signature style that is heavily influenced by his interest in architecture, mathematics and physics.

Bruce has been a glassmaker since 2001. He completed his Master’s Degree at the University for the Creative Arts at Farnham in 2010. Bruce Marks was bitten by the glass bug when he first discovered lampworking. Intent on becoming a glassblower, Bruce introduced himself to Peter Layton in 2001 and spent a number of years assisting at London Glassblowing before becoming the Studio Manager and Peter’s principal colourist, helping him test and explore a myriad of colour applications.

Bruno Romanelli is an established and highly successful artist who has specialised in lost-wax glass casting for over 30 years. A graduate of the Royal College of Art, he initially made his name through figurative glass sculpture, often incorporating casts of his own body. With work held in major collections worldwide, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, he is recognised as a leading contemporary practitioner in his field.

Cathryn Shilling is a London-based glass artist whose distinctive sculptural works are celebrated for their innovative use of kilnformed glass. Originally trained in Graphic Design at the Central School of Art and Design, her creative path evolved during her time in the USA, where she studied stained glass. On her return to the UK she studied kilnformed glass and became a student of blown glass at London Glassblowing before establishing her practice in 2009. From 2010 to 2019 Cathryn was curator of London Glassblowing’s gallery.

Based in London, Daisy Parkinson is a BA Glass and Ceramics graduate from the University for the Creative Arts, where she studied from 2020 to 2023. She previously completed a Level 4 Foundation in Art and Design at the University of the Arts London in 2019–2020, where she discovered her interest in glass. Beginning with stained glass, she quickly developed a focus on glassblowing and now works as an assistant glassblower at London Glassblowing since July 2023 and Gather Glass since October 2023. Daisy has contributed to exhibitions including Show Off in 2021, Learning Together, Creating Together in 2022, Behind the Scenes in 2023, the New Ashgate Spring Collection in 2024, Shaping Glass, Shaping Futures in 2024, and Mirage in 2025.

David Reekie studied Glass & Ceramics at Stourbridge College of Art, graduating in 1970. He taught glass at North Staffs Polytechnic from 1976–1986 before setting up his own studio in Norfolk in 1986. He has served on artistic boards including Pilchuck in the USA and North Lands in Scotland.

For over 50 years he has exhibited his figurative sculptures worldwide, with work held in major museum collections across the USA, Europe and the V&A in London. Observing society and the world around him, he creates characters and scenarios that comment on the human condition, often ironic with a darkly comic edge. He is regarded as a modern-day satirist. His teaching has taken him around the world, sharing his expertise in lost wax casting, a technique he has refined over time. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Wolverhampton in 2011 and lives and works in Dickleburgh, Norfolk.

Elliot Walker is a British glass artist and winner of Netflix’s Blown Away Season 2, known for creating visually striking still-life compositions in glass. He draws inspiration from an eclectic range of sources, including abandonment, the human form, environmental catastrophes and Old Master paintings. Through meticulously crafted vessels, he explores symbolism, perception and narrative. His Still Life series uses the compositional language of Renaissance painting and began as a way to study and refine these classical skills. Central to his work is the arrangement of objects and the use of light to heighten visual impact.

Gayle Matthias is a practising artist, educator and researcher. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, with work in permanent collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the European Museum for Modern Glass, Coburg. She has worked in the Gallery Education Department at the Crafts Council, been an artist in residence at Bullseye Glass in the USA, and is currently Subject Leader on the BA (Hons) Crafts and Material Practices course at Arts University Plymouth.

Her work reflects her social and cultural heritage, exploring how heavy industry leaves its mark on landscape, environment and the body. Using kilnformed glass and mixed media, she creates sculptural works that resemble industrial remnants while challenging perceptions of glass as a material.

Glassmaker Stephen Gillies and artist Kate Jones have worked collaboratively since 1995 from their studio in Rosedale Abbey, North Yorkshire. Combining their distinct skills, Stephen blows and layers richly coloured glass while Kate engraves each piece through sandblasting and wheel cutting. Together, they explore the sculptural potential of the blown vessel, a form that has remained central to their practice for over three decades. Their work is held in major museum collections internationally, including The Fitzwilliam, Kanazawa, Ebeltoft, Coburg and the Farringdon Collection.

After studying for a degree in Philosophy, Harriet Thorne went to Seattle to attend a two-month course in glassblowing at Pratt Fine Arts Centre, where she became hooked. She then studied for her MA at the University of Sunderland and worked at the National Glass Centre. After working, studying and teaching throughout the UK and Europe, Harriet came to London Glassblowing in 2021, where she has been able to develop and create her own artworks.

James Maskrey has a career in hot glass spanning over 35 years. He has exhibited internationally and his work is held in public and private collections including the V&A, the Crafts Council, the National Museum of Scotland, Perth Museum and Art Gallery, and the Ernsting Stiftung Glass Museum, Germany. Passionate about education and the sharing of skills, he has led masterclasses throughout the UK and Europe and facilitated more than 70 glass projects for artists including Richard Slee, Magdalene Odundo, Ryan Gander, Monster Chetwynd and Katie Paterson. He currently works as an academic tutor, senior glass technician and artist facilitator at the National Glass Centre, University of Sunderland.

Jane Reeves has been working with glass for over twenty years. With a background in design and illustration, having studied at Bath Academy of Art from 1984–87, she has spent many years exploring the technique and alchemy of painting with glass powders and enamels. Inspired by a love of the coast and time spent in Cornwall, Jane explores the mystery of the ocean and the deep connection many of us feel towards it. Her paintings capture moments of refreshment, wonder and nostalgia, inviting the viewer to pause and look at the waves falling and the horizon calling.

Joseph Harrington is a sculptor working in cast glass. He achieved a First-Class BA in Ceramics and Glass at Buckinghamshire University College in 2002 before graduating with an MA in Ceramics and Glass from the Royal College of Art in 2006. Since 2012 he has run his own studio in Surrey. Career highlights include winning Best in Show at the 2017 British Glass Biennale and having work acquired by the V&A. His work is also held in the collections of the Chrysler Museum, Virginia, and Manchester Metropolitan Special Collections Museum. Alongside his own practice, Joseph teaches internationally and fabricates and casts glass for other artists.

Karen Browning is a British sculptor specialising in kilncast glass, recognised for her exploration of material transformation, reflection, and the histories embedded in surfaces. She has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally, including Naked Craft Project (Japan), Glass Coast Weekend (Florida), Collect Open 2024, and the British Glass Biennale. Her work is held in major collections including the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Liuli Museum, Shanghai. Awards include Best in Show at the British Glass Biennale (2022) and the Glass Art Society Green Award (2024). She has been a member of the Royal Society of Sculptors since 2015.

Katherine Huskie is a glassblower and neon artist based in Wiltshire, UK. In 2013 she co-founded Devereux & Huskie Glassworks with James Devereux where they specialise in creating bespoke glass for international designers and artists. Her own work has a strong identity with form and texture and she is constantly searching for new sources of inspiration and influences, seeking to translate this imagery within hot glass. She has a passion for manipulating blown glass, in her quest to captivate the viewer to interact with her artworks.

Laura McKinley began her study of glass at Buckinghamshire University in 2005, later earning a scholarship to the renowned Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle. She went on to train at LoCo Glass in Gloucestershire before managing the gallery at London Glassblowing. In 2018, Laura completed her MA at the Royal College of Art and co-founded a glass studio in London. Her practice combines blown glass, solid glass and bronze, creating sculptural works that explore balance, play and precision.

Layne Rowe forged his glassblowing career path while studying 3D Design at the University of Central Lancashire in the early 1990s. Though initially drawn to metalwork, he fell in love with glass after his first encounter with the medium, instantly captivated by its complexity, heat, and character. Over his 20-year career with Peter Layton at London Glassblowing, his artistic journey continually pushes creative boundaries, through perfectly controlled yet organic glass explorations of nature's colours and patterns.

Louis Thompson is one of the most exciting and sought-after glass artists working in Britain today. He gained his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1988 and has worked together with various artists around the world. Louis has blown glass with Peter Layton at London Glassblowing for 25 years. During this time, he completed a Master’s degree at the Royal College of Art.

Marie Worre Hastrup Holm has been blowing glass since 1992, producing work for well-known glass artists in Denmark, England and Iceland while developing her own artistic voice. In 2003, she earned a BA in Visual Arts and Painting from Camberwell College, London. Alongside her practice, she co-curated and designed Wearing Glass: Contemporary Jewellery and Body Adornment in London in 2006. Both her Scandinavian background and British Fine Art education continue to influence her work. Marie worked alongside Peter Layton at London Glassblowing from 1996 to 2012, where she developed her own artistic language in glass, supported and encouraged by Peter throughout.

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Monette Larsen is a glass artist whose work explores the concept of natural beauty, examining how our perception of nature is linked to an innate recognition of underlying patterns and structures. A graduate of Denmark’s Royal Academy and holder of an MA from the Royal College of Art, London, she has exhibited internationally and her work is held in permanent collections worldwide.

Drawing inspiration from the living world, Monette looks to molecular structures, nanoscale details and natural mathematics as foundations for her work. Through structural investigations and meticulous making processes, she celebrates the complexity and beauty of nature.

Nancy Sutcliffe, who died in September 2025, was a talented engraver and gilder who combined a love of precision and detail with an impish sense of humour, a deep commitment to the natural world, and a willingness to push boundaries. She was always experimenting and teaching herself new techniques, both in making and presentation, and her studio was (and remains) full of ideas and works in progress. Her family continue to support Cancer Research UK through a JustGiving fundraising page, with additional donations made from sales of her work.

Nick Mount has been one of the leading figures in the Australian studio glass movement since the early 1970s. Over subsequent decades, as both teacher and practitioner, he has made a significant contribution to the development of glass as an artistic medium in Australia. His work is represented in major private and public collections, including state galleries and the National Gallery of Australia, and he exhibits regularly in Europe, the United States and Japan.

Rachael Woodman was born in England in 1957. After her first degree at North Staffordshire Polytechnic, she studied at Orrefors Glass School in Sweden and trained in glass workshops in Germany and Denmark before completing her studies at the Royal College of Art in London. With a career spanning more than 40 years, she is an internationally recognised artist, combining design work for the glass industry with her own artistic practice, most notably in partnership with master glassblower Neil Wilkin. Working as principal designer for Dartington Crystal throughout the 1980s and 90s, she created the Rachael and Chalice collections among others. A past winner of major glass prizes, her work is held in collections including the V&A, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the Faith Museum.

Richard Jackson studied BA (Hons) 3D Design and Glass at West Surrey College of Art and Design, UK, graduating in 1989. He worked in studios in the USA and Europe before setting up his own studio with Sally Fawkes in the Cotswolds, England. His exhibition history includes Symbiose, le verre en duo at Charleroi Musée du Verre, Belgium (2025) and PAD London with London Glassblowing (2024). He also works in collaboration with Sally Fawkes and undertakes commissions for private, corporate and public spaces, including marine vessels and the Mastercard Player of the Match awards for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup. His work is held in collections including the V&A, the National Trust and the National Museums of Scotland.

Sabrina Cant is a ceramics and glass artist who earned her MA from the Royal College of Art in 2004, where she won the prestigious Bombay Sapphire New Designers Prize. Her celestial-inspired work has been shown internationally, including the Bombay Sapphire Prize, BIGG Exhibition, the International Exhibition of Glass in Kanazawa and the Coburg Prize for Contemporary Glass.

Inspired by the cosmos, natural world and celestial bodies, Sabrina creates works defined by subtle and harmonious colour relationships. Her carefully chosen palettes evoke nostalgia and emotional resonance, often revealing unexpected depth and luminosity. With over 25 years’ glass casting experience, her practice continues to evolve, consistently pushing technical boundaries.

Sally Fawkes holds a First-Class Honours degree in 3D Design Glass from Surrey Institute of Art and Design and has worked as a professional artist-maker since 1999. She teaches kiln casting at the Royal Danish Academy of Architecture, Design and Conservation, a guest role held for over 20 years, and is an elected member of the Royal Society of Sculptors. Her exhibition history includes Symbiose (Charleroi Musée du Verre, 2025) and the British Glass Biennale (2024). She has undertaken major site-specific commissions, including the Mastercard Player of the Match awards for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup with Richard Jackson. Her work is held in collections including the V&A, National Trust and National Museums of Scotland.

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Sarah Wiberley lives and works as a glass artist in London. Alongside her role as part of the London Glassblowing studio team, she maintains her own practice from a shared studio space in West London. She began glassmaking in 2001 while studying at the Surrey Institute of Art and Design, where she developed a fascination for combining imagery with glass form through layered opacities. She later studied at the International Glass Centre in Stourbridge and worked in a number of glass studios, refining her technical skills before completing an MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art in 2011.

Her work is defined by a strong focus on colour, drawing on both traditional glassmaking techniques and contemporary approaches to pattern and surface. She balances fluid glass forms with bold imagery, creating pieces that explore light, depth and visual rhythm.

Scott Benefield is an internationally recognised glass artist, renowned for his mastery of Venetian cane techniques and his innovative approach to contemporary glassmaking. A respected educator, Scott has taught extensively throughout Europe, North America and Japan. His achievements include the Glass Art Society Lifetime Membership Award, a Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust (QEST) Scholarship and the 2025 David Shaw-Smith Legacy Award. His work is held in numerous public and private collections, including the Tacoma Museum of Glass, the National Glass Centre and the Sir Elton John Collection.

Siddy Langley has been blowing glass since the late 1970s and works from her home studio in rural Devon. Unusually for a glassblower, she prefers to work alone, developing her distinctive vessels surrounded by the landscape and wildlife that inspire her. Her work is celebrated for its vibrant colour, playful spirit and technical skill.

One of the most significant journeys of Siddy’s life began in 1979 when Peter Layton took her on as London Glassblowing’s first apprentice in Rotherhithe. That opportunity marked the beginning of a long and successful career in glass.

Czech artist Tomáš Brzon was born in Nový Bor and trained at the prestigious School of Glassmaking in Kamenický Šenov. Tomas has honed his craft alongside celebrated artists including Martin Rosol, Jan Mares, and Latchezar Boyadjiev. Now working from his studio in Nový Bor, his work has been exhibited across Europe and the United States.

Vezzini & Chen are a collaborative design duo whose work is defined by the artful combination of hand-carved ceramics and blown glass. Working together since 2013, Cristina Vezzini and Stan Chen create sculptural lighting, vessels and installations that sit between the functional and the conceptual. Bringing together their distinct disciplines, materials and visual languages, their work explores the dialogue between contrasting forms, surfaces and processes.