James’ Lommel residency and FNL at Gent Glass
In October James was invited by Jeroen Maes to The Glazenhuis, Lommel, Belgium to have a residency to create his artworks. Emma Baker and I went as his assistants and we spent a week with the amazing team working on James creations. The glazenhuis is a brilliant studio and gallery who showcase some of the best glass from around the world, they also provide residencies for visiting artists.
After the residency James, Emma and I travelled to Gent Glass to visit our good friend John Moran. Here I took part in their Friday Night Live event. This is a brilliant event that allows members of the public to come and watch visiting artists or the Gent Glass Team create their work. Working through the evening the public get to watch a few different demos and enjoy the awesome Belgium beer from glasses made at the studio.
James and I stayed in Belgium for a few more days to travel. John invited us back to Gent as the De La Torre Brothers were coming over from the US to have their own residency. Getting to meet Einar and Jamex was a real honour and also being able to assist in a small part of their residency was a privilege.
We made one more stop before we headed back to the UK and that was to visit Marco Lopulalan who is the head glass maker at Royal Leerdam Crystal in the Netherlands. We were fortunate enough to have a tour of the factory as well as the surrounding area and of course the famous statue in the centre. The trip was incredible and it definitely shows how the glass community is so strong and connected. Everyone wants to share their experiences and take time to engage and develop a strong bond.
