COLLECT

Artist, pioneer and mentor, Peter Layton is one of the founding fathers of British studio glass. 

He discovered the art form while teaching ceramics in the US in the mid 1960s, and has played a major part in elevating glass from a material for industrial purposes to a highly collectable art form. Most importantly, he helped to give it a home in the UK. 

The London Glassblowing studio has nurtured and produced some of the world’s leading glass artists and continues to do so to this day. This is thanks to an open door policy extending to artists, collectors and the curious public who wander into the Bermondsey Street gallery and studio. 

Tim Rawlinson studied Ceramics and Glass at Buckinghamshire New University, having previously studied Architecture at Brighton University. Graduating in 2011, he exhibited his degree work at New Designers. Here, he met Peter Layton for the first time and was subsequently invited to London Glassblowing for work experience. He has been an invaluable member of the team, setting up and managing the cold studio. Over the past few years Tim has established himself internationally as a leading glass artist. He supplies a number of major glass galleries in the US with recent showings in Florida and New York City. His work is currently in very high demand internationally.

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.

Internationally regarded as a pioneer in the field of kiln cast glass, Colin Reid is widely considered to be one of the most important sculptors working in glass today. His artworks are represented in sixty museum collections worldwide and he has undertaken many public and private commissions. Based in his Gloucestershire studio, Colin has developed the expertise and facilities to handle a variety of mixed-media and glass commissions.

Born and raised in New York, David Patchen took a glassblowing class in 2001 and was so inspired, that he transitioned from a career in corporate marketing to a full-time glass artist. His artworks always begin with the pattern. In the early stages of his career, he would sketch pattern ideas, both to consider colour and design and to record possibilities for future use. Now, when he makes murrine, he often has a vision of a colour combination that he would like to explore, or will make a variation of different forms - cutting and arranging different pieces together to achieve the perfect mosaic.

Elliot Walker is an extremely talented and exciting glass artist, who kickstarted his career by working for eight years in the London Glassblowing studio, after graduating with a Masters in Applied Arts from Wolverhampton University. He is one of a handful of glassblowers who focuses on sculpting molten glass at exceptionally high temperatures - a challenging and intense experience that demands consummate skill, dexterity and speed.

Since winning Series Two of the Netflix programme, Blown Away in 2021, Elliot has catapulted further onto the world stage, becoming one of the glass world’s most in-demand artists. He has exhibited widely throughout the UK and his work is collected internationally.

Kate Pasvol is a glass artist working in North London with her roots in Wales. Originally an architect and teacher, she now works on her glass sculptures in her studio and in the University of Hertfordshire. Kate intends to capture the feeling of motion and excitement as the drama of the landscape unfolds for the viewer. 

Layne Rowe is an extremely skilled glass artist who has worked with Peter Layton for over twenty years. His journey began in 1994 during his degree course in 3D design at the University of Central Lancashire. He initially toyed with the idea of working in metal, but as soon as he tried glass he loved it, claiming, “It’s the whole process: the heat, the character and complexity of it”. On graduating, he worked at London Glassblowing for a number of years before moving to Brazil, where he set up a glass studio before rejoining Peter Layton’s studio.

Liam Reeves has been making glass professionally since 1998 when he graduated from Middlesex University with a BA (Hons) in three-dimensional design. After graduating, he developed his skills whilst working in the glass industry with some of the most renowned glassmakers in the UK. Liam has always been interested in the evolution of technology and the impact and effect that this has on human experience. He has adopted the methodology of computer aided design applications in order to apply and impose a set of parameters for the glassblowing process. 

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 over 20 years. During this time, he completed a Masters degree at the Royal College of Art and has been the recipient of two highly prestigious awards, the Jerwood Makers Prize Commission and the Best Exhibit Prize at the British Glass Biennale.