Michèle Oberdieck

Glass sculptor

©Juliet Sheath

©Michele Oberdieck

©Giles Porter

©Michele Oberdieck

©Giles Porter

Reinterpreting the Graal technique

Michèle is inspired by natural forms and organic structures
Her vessels work against symmetry, creating fluidity and movement
Colour has always been a major element in her work

Michèle Oberdieck followed a Bachelor's in Printed and Knitted Textiles at the Glasgow School of Art with a Master's in Ceramics and Glass from The Royal College of Art, after a career in textiles. At first, she planned to study Architectural glass, but she became entranced when she saw the way molten colour moved, how malleable it was, and the soft forms which could be created. “Blown glass is a very seductive medium,” she says. From an early age, Oberdieck wanted to make her living from being creative. “There was a lot of creativity on my mothers’ side. My maternal grandmother was a hat designer and then a painter, and my mother made miniature rooms modelled on historical characters.” Her studio is based in Cockpit Arts where she works surrounded by like-minded creatives. One of her focuses is redeveloping the classic Swedish technique of Graal.

Interview

©Juliet Sheath

What drew you to blown glass?: I love the surprise element. I might be planning something for months on paper and using other materials, but when it comes to the making stage, decisions need to be made immediately. Blown glass, once in the hot shop, goes from extreme heat to quickly cooling.
Which are the specific techniques you master?: I’ve been reinterpretating the classic Swedish technique of Graal, creating a type of pattern on my glass vessels. I draw with diamond engraving wheels cutting patterns through layers of coloured glass, playing with negative and positive grounds. By cutting away the opaque coloured glass, I make these pieces more fluid, light and permeable.
Where did you draw inspiration for your Ostfriesia series?: I was inspired by the colours of the landscape where my father is from. Ostfriesland is an area of Northern Germany where the North Sea breaks on the Friesan plain, creating a lattice of canals, grasslands and dunes.
What is so special about this place?: The wide horizon brings a clarity to the delicate colourings of soft greys, delft blues and celadon evident in the flat landscape.

Michèle Oberdieck is a rising star she began her career in 2017