Naomi Singer

Maker Showcase

4 February - 8 April

Naomi’s work is inspired by the plants and landscape around her Cornish home, she uses traditional fused glass techniques combined with digital technology to create her unique pieces.

Her current pieces highlight the beauty and structure of her beloved Agapanthus flowers that can be found all along the coast near her home.  In this showcase her work plays with the scale and colour of these flowers to create an indoor field of Agapanthus.

Her pieces are created using a range of both traditional and modern warm-glass techniques.  She first designs her pieces electronically, manipulating digital photography to create highly patterned images which are then fused between layers of hand cut coloured glass.  Naomi began using this innovative technique during her degree at University College Falmouth, and has since continued to develop it, now using it to create her beautiful and unique pieces of glass. 

She sells in galleries and shops throughout the UK and regularly makes bespoke pieces for hotels, businesses and private homes.  She has also created exclusive collections for the Eden Project in Cornwall and Kew Gardens in London.  These collections take their inspiration from the gardens themselves and contain images of plants and flowers grown on site.

Maker Q & A

What were you doing before you became a glass designer-maker?

I set up my glass business straight after graduating from university so I have never really done anything else. Prior to university I worked in the hospitality industry in my hometown in Dorset.

When did you start working with glass?

I first started playing with glass at the beginning of my degree in Contemporary Craft and I fell in love with the possibilities.

What led you to this career?

I have always loved art and craft and doing creative things.  For as long as I can remember I have wanted to have my own business selling my art. I come from a very creative family, my mother had her own knitwear business and my grandfather was a tailor. I initially wanted to work with textiles but when we studied glass at the beginning of my degree I just couldn’t put it down.

Are you self-taught or did you train in this craft? Where did you learn?

I first started playing with glass during my first term on the Contemporary Craft degree at Falmouth College of Art.  I fell in love with the possibility of the material and spent the rest of my time at university learning new glass techniques.  In my third year I learnt how to combine digital images within my glass pieces and I have continued to explore this technique using my own photographs which I edit and getting them created in a way that I can incorporate them within my glass work.

Where are you based?

I live in Redruth, Cornwall. I am originally from Dorset but after studying at Falmouth College of Art I just couldn’t leave the beautiful county of Cornwall behind.

Where do you create your work? Can you describe the space?

My studio is at Krowji, a large creative collective in Redruth.  It is based on the site of the towns old grammar school and has over 100 creative businesses in different studios all over the site.  My studio is in the old science block and is my third space in this building since I got my first studio here in 2009.  My room is pretty large and contains my two kilns, my large work bench and normally far more mess than I am comfortable describing!  

What are your main inspirations?

My main inspirations are the plants and flowers that grow around my Cornish home. With a little bit of the local landmarks showing up in some of my more recent works.

What are the main processes you use in your making?

In my pieces I combine traditional fused glass techniques and modern digital technology.

Do you have a particular tool that you could not live without?

I have several important tools but my favourites are my kilns. My small kiln was a 21st birthday present from my family.  My larger kiln was a second hand bargain and has meant that I can make the big pieces I love to make.

How do you take your work from initial idea to finished piece?

All my pieces start with a photograph I have taken, that I then manipulate on the computer, I isolate the individual flower I want, change the scale, colours and draw into the image.  I will play with ideas on my computer seeing what colours will work and where the image would look best dissected. Then I hand cut sections of thin sheet glass to create a pattern, using a different colour to highlight the beauty of the flower.  All my pieces are then fired in my kiln so all the sections of glass fuse together.

What do you enjoy most about your craft?

I love creating bespoke large pieces.  Working on new challenges and making pieces people love.

What is your most memorable piece or experience as a maker?

One of the pieces I enjoyed making the most was a large tryptic for a beautiful kitchen overlooking a garden of agapanthus and the sea.  I created three panels with images of agapanthus in glass colours that echoed the sea and sky outside.

When did you become a Maker Member of MAKE Southwest?

I have been a member for over 10 years.

What advice would you give someone who would like to start working with glass?

Play, experiment, there is so much you can do with glass but don’t be afraid of mistakes and broken pieces.

Is there anything you would like to make or achieve in the future as a maker?

I would like to make more larger pieces as there is so much to play with looking at scale and colours.  I love creating big bespoke pieces as I can really sink my teeth into the large scale projects.