Textured in glass
- Nina grew up in a family of artisans
- She specialises in kiln-cast glass and hot-shaping by hand
- She opened her workshop in one of the converted spaces of her family's farm
Born in Gloucester, England, Nina Casson McGarva grew up in the middle of the countryside in France. Her maternal grandparents were both potters, her mother makes textiles and her father is also a potter. “I always knew I was going to ‘make’. I didn’t know what I was going to make nor what material I was going to use. As soon as I was old enough to go to school to learn a craft, I chose one that I couldn’t learn at home with my family.” She started with wood and trained as a cabinetmaker at the age of 15, but after two years decided to try glass. In 2007, aged 17, she began her training as a crystal glassblower at the Ecole Nationale du Verre, Lycée Jean Monnet at Yzeure, France. “That’s when I realised I really loved glass as a material and it stuck with me.”
Interview
- What fascinates you about glass?
- The complexities and challenges of hot glass mean that I am always learning. After training in glassblowing, I went to The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where my mind was opened to other techniques and possibilities I could explore with glass.
- Do you use any special techniques?
- At the beginning of my process, I use a traditional technique, but for the second half I use an experimental one, which is always testing the limits of possibilities with hot glass. I make a repetition of one glass unit, which I combine together to create a textured pattern that is then fused to a glass background.
- What do you love most about your profession?
- It never gets boring. Working on the edge of what’s possible with the material is my motivation. I like to push myself and the inspiration for my work is all around me. It is a way of working which suits my personality and in an inspirational environment.
- What advice do you have for a young person embarking on the craft?
- Learn the skills and then find a unique way of making your work which fits your personality. Work for other artists you admire, then you can fully understand there isn’t only one way of making and you will gradually know how you want to work.
Nina Casson McGarva is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2014
Works
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Nina Casson McGarva
