Fragile, fierce and full of life
- Anne and Peter’s pieces are the result of combining their two crafts
- Their work involves multiple techniques such as lampworking, glassblowing and latticino
- Experimentation with the chemistry of glass is key to both their practices
Anne Clifton and Peter Bowles create glass works with traces of ceramics in an old, romantic workshop. The couple met in Perth, where Anne studied ceramics and Peter worked in glass. "We joined our practices to form our studio, Glass Manifesto. Each of us pursues a distinct craft while supporting the other," they say. Peter's dense, zen-like forms reflect his quiet strength and stillness, while Anne's works draw on her training in ceramics and interiors, expressing the vigour palpable in her energy. Influenced by Tasmania and working directly with its pure sands, Anne and Peter's works pieces could not be made but on this island. In collaborating, making becomes a dance, a template for creating a successful art practice and life filled with love.
Interview
- What concepts do you tackle in your work?
- Anne: Peter refuses to talk about concepts, but to me his work is about existence, and about being part of the universe. He can consistently dig deeper and come up with something new. It is very spiritual to exist in the same space as his work.
- How do ceramics influence your glass works?
- Peter: Anne’s practice today is shaped by her ceramic training. Her material and research investigation for glazed technology supports her new works in glass, and it is a fascinating transposition. The moment when the objects are superheated and the chemistry gets activated is truly magical – the work just comes alive.
- What inspires your work?
- Anne: I have worked on cattle stations and driven tractors and buses throughout Australia, so I have experienced many different landscapes. I am influenced by colours. In Perth, I used strong, rich reds and blues, and in Tasmania, nothing worked except for lavender, sage and gold.
- How does landscape inform your work?
- Peter: There is a lovely part of Tasmania that is important for my practice. We have some of the cleanest, purest mineral sands here, with virtually no iron contamination, so the work that I make is of the landscape. The optical clarity of the sand allows us to create pieces that are three to five inches thick, with no discolouration. We could not make our work anywhere but here.
Anne Clifton & Peter Bowles are master artisans: they began their career in 1990 and they started teaching in 2000
Where
Anne Clifton & Peter Bowles
