From scientist to glass artist
- Amanda uses opaque glass powders to create lightweight, fragile works
- She approaches glassmaking in a scientific way
- 19th century artist John James Audubon's bird illustrations inspire her
Amanda Simmons began her career as a telecoms engineer and then pursued a biomedical science degree, going on to work in hospitals as an operator of heart-lung machines during cardiac operations. Very different jobs, but what she loved about both was using her hands and head to solve problems. However, although she enjoyed her career, she always felt she was searching for something else. Over the years she had taken classes in many forms of art before finally having a “lightbulb moment” on a week’s stained glass course. Her love of glass was “instant. It just spoke to me so much,” she says. Now living in Scotland, she makes kiln-formed glass pieces, often inspired by the birds she sees from her studio windows.
INTERVIEW
If I hadn’t done engineering and then the medical job, I wouldn’t have understood glass as much as I do. Putting those three together completely made sense. I work with glass as a scientist – you have a concept, design the experiment, document the results and come to a conclusion.
I think of something as an end point, so the 3D image is in my head, but that comes from lots and lots of research: reading around the subject, sketching, model-making, printmaking. There’s definitely a thrill of having something in your mind and then physically creating it.
A like to make the glass as lightweight and fragile as possible. That is tied in with a complete fascination with birds. The two have come together, because it doesn’t make sense to have something inspired by a creature that is so light and fragile, and have a heavy piece of glass.
I think it’s the freedom of being an artist. I love how this job can be totally different, that I can choose my own projects, my own research and get to work with a lot of fantastic people. I am grateful every day.
