It is amazing what a wealth of talent and invention lies behind some of the most ordinary front doors on the most ordinary streets in this area! Artweeks provides the "Open, Sesame!" which – like Open Doors in September – allows us to catch a glimpse of these usually hidden worlds.
Pam Fyvie’s exhibition of her diverse glass creations was an eye-opener for me. She has been working with glass for over ten years, using a variety of techniques. She takes her inspiration directly from nature. Her recent focus has been on bees, considering their fundamental role in pollination and the numerous threats to their survival, as illustrated in the lovely signature piece for her entry in the Artweeks brochure/website.
My first sight of her work was the stunning display of huge glass flowers in her beautiful garden, shining in the sunlight amongst the natural foliage. (Alas, the sun hid behind a cloud when I later tried to photograph them.)
Stepping inside, I was overwhelmed by the Aladdin’s cave of creativity that met my eye. The varied display of glass bowls and plates on the table was surrounded by shelves, dressers, cabinets filled with all manner of wonderful items, variously reflecting and refracting the sunlight pouring through the window: there were clocks and cufflinks, lampshades and landscapes, earrings and pendants galore, and even a highly realistic meteorite reconstructed in glass, which glowed in the dark.
It was fascinating to listen to Pam talk about the techniques used to make the different pieces. Her little bees alone range from the moulded and the painted and the gilded to teeny insects formed by manipulating 16 tiny separate pieces of glass with tweezers.
Another unexpected aspect of this visit was discovering what a delightfully tactile experience it can be to handle different kinds of glass objects. For instance, Pam had created a glass conker, which looked and felt just like a real one in the hand, together with its outer casing, smooth as milk on the inside, coarse bumpy green on the outside.
After lava, birds, landscapes, flowers, bees etc, Pam is planning to turn her attention to mushrooms and fungi – I can’t wait to see what she produces next!