Caneworks

Shiraz Caneworks, blown glass, by Peter Bowles. Three quadrant vessels, two shorter vessels on the left and one tall vessel on the right. Detailed with a red shiraz coloured glass cane pattern in a circular repeat.

Yellow Caneworks, blown glass, by Peter Bowles. Two quadrant vessels, a shorter vessel on the left behind the taller vessel on the right. Detailed with a yellow champagne-coloured glass cane pattern in a circular repeat.

Cobalt Caneworks, blown glass, by Peter Bowles. Three quadrant vessels, detailed with a blue-coloured glass cane pattern in a circular repeat.

I’ve always held a deep regard for the commitment that makers make to understand their materials and process. I’m intrigued by the relationship between available technology, human dexterity and practical ingenuity. I’m interested in how these factors interplay as critical aspects of the evolution of contemporary craft and object making.

Caneworks are in some way a reflection on this and have become a fascinating project. Based on the reticello technique – a technique that has woven its way through much of my practice. The patternation relies on the interaction of chemically reactive glasses and the palette that arises from these interactions. Then further, how these interplay with glasses with a differing physical hardness.

Born out of my admiration and fascination with traditional European glassmaking practices, and combining this with a range of extraordinary materials (thank you Gaffer Glass) this evolving body of work is at last a way of finding my own voice with the reticello technique.