Glass that makes you gaze
- Pinkie has a passion for storytelling
- Her work reflects her life experiences
- She is self-taught
Pinkie Maclure found glass by chance; a friend needed help, she needed the money, and so she found herself in the studio. Initially she was frustrated by the lack of creativity, finding reproduction work somewhat meaningless. However, she was gripped by the storytelling power of medieval stained glass. She began teaching herself the skills needed to create her own work, but for her technique is only a means to an end. She wants to reach people with her art, to illicit an emotional response, to provoke and inspire her viewer. Her work has been well received, being featured in the collection of the National Museum of Scotland and shortlisted for the John Ruskin Prize and Jerwood Makers.
Interview
- How did you start making stained glass?
- My friend hired me as an assistant to help in the making of conventional stained glass. For 15 years, I worked on other people’s projects and other people's commissions. But it just didn't feel creative. In 2015 I gave that up and found my own way of making. It is hugely exciting and occasionally subversive!
- In what way are you influenced by tradition?
- I am heavily influenced by medieval stained glass, especially windows that have been damaged and repaired many times. I like the chaotic nature of it. I use it to explore contemporary and personal themes – to challenge current expectations of stained glass.
- Can you tell us a memorable moment in your professional life?
- The National Museum of Scotland purchased one of my pieces which is about a much-loved childhood haunt. It was blown up by a government-sponsored oil rig company in the 1970s. The story was largely covered up, but now I am able to tell the world about it through my art.
- What do you love most about your profession?
- I love the idea that I am saving stained glass from being reduced to something purely decorative. I love the allegorical heritage of it and it thrills me to think I can tell stories of the world today through this ancient form, confounding expectations.
Pinkie Maclure is an expert artisan: she began her career in 2000
Where
Pinkie Maclure
