Helen Slater Stokes

Glass sculptor

©Helen Slater Stokes

Turning optical perception into glass art

Helen opened her first workshop in 1999 in London
She obtained her PhD at the Royal College of Art in 2021
She specialises in kiln formed glass processes and 3D digital design

Inspired by the surrounding world, landscapes, spaces and how we perceive them, Dr. Helen Slater Stokes creates magnificent pieces of glass art. Her range of work is impressive, the artisan creates bespoke sculptural designs for public and private commissions, interior and architectural glass projects, glass sculptures for exhibitions, and also leads glass workshops. “I love the scientific and artistic aspects of glass, as a material. It has so many creative possibilities and is relatively new as an art medium,” says Helen describing her passion for this craft. Also, she’s a tireless student of glass. Helen has developed unique technical processes to create kiln-formed artworks that were a part of her PhD research at London’s Royal College of Art that she completed in 2021.

Interview

©Helen Slater Stokes

©Helen Slater Stokes

How would you define what you do?: I am a glass artist who makes time-based experiential interactive sculptures, that explore a new visual language for glass and challenge our optical perception of three-dimensional space both physically and conceptually. I push the artistic and optical possibilities of what glass can do.
How are tradition and innovation expressed in your work?: My work addresses traditional and contemporary artistic spatial illusionary methods, analysing techniques within the drawing, photography, formal sculpture, and optical art in order to create what is visually perceived as virtual three-dimensional forms in the glass.
Why did you choose to be a glass artist?: For as long as I can remember I have thought of myself as an artist and been driven to find ways to keep making and pushing my ideas forward. Glass offers me great challenges alongside fascinating artistic outcomes, it means that I am always learning and constantly motivated to exploit this amazing material.
How would you describe a well made object?: It would be a perfectly finished piece. It would have a high degree of finish, via a mastery and understanding of the material. Handmade objects each have their own character and details, these are not machine fabricated, and as such the hand of the maker leaves his or her mark, making each work unique.

Helen Slater Stokes is a master artisan: she began her career in 1999 and she started teaching in 2000