How stillness moves across the day
- Jessica’s work aims to capture a sense of stillness
- She was inspired by her architect father to appreciate the creative medium of light
- She developed her own technique using fused glass powder that creates an opaline aura
Jessica Loughlin learned Japanese sumi-e painting as a child which helped her appreciate tone and essence, and she was apprenticed in design by her architect father. Jessica converted to glass after seeing it melt in a kiln for the first time: "I was fascinated by how the material could hold light," she says. She decided to study kiln-forming while still in high school and then completed a BA in Visual Art at the Australian National University. Jessica moved to Adelaide where she co-founded Gate 8 Workshop and, through experimentation, she developed a unique kiln-forming technique with the use of fused glass powder. Her work reflects subtle shifts of light that are experienced over time, evoking distant horizons. She was a finalist in the 2020 Loewe Craft Prize and has won many other prizes.
Interview
- What are your sources of inspiration?
- Space and light. I am fascinated by unreachable space, the view we look upon, but can never reach. Some of my works function as a ‘tabula rasa’ for noticing subtle changes of light throughout the day. The white opaline glass I use behaves in a similar way to light in the sky. Fine molecules in the glass reflect blue light while transmitting the warm spectrum of light.
- How would you define what you do?
- Overall in my works, I aim to capture a sense of stillness, for my work to elicit quiet and to provide a space for reflection for the viewer. At first glance, my pieces may appear white, but on closer inspection, the colours appear and slowly change as light shifts.
- How do you express tradition and innovation in your work?
- Some of my pieces have polished or matte finishes thanks to techniques similar to ancient glass making. However, I have developed techniques in pieces such as ‘resonance’ that are the result of experimenting and playing with material to find a desired quality. These works use a specific fused glass powder that is applied with water, before being fused in the kiln.
- What do you love most about your profession?
- I love gaining a deep understanding of a subject that moves me. Capturing this in a physical object is the aim, but it requires a balance of approach and magic, so it cannot be assured! But when it does materialise, it is so satisfying.
Jessica Loughlin is an expert artisan: she began her career in 1998
Where
Jessica Loughlin
