Contemporary fused glass & lampwork bead artist, specialising in wall art, splashbacks, memorial jewellery & workshops. Based in Sandridge, St Albans

With a passion for glass, attention to detail and a reluctance to back down from a challenge, Sandridge based Heartwood Glass not only creates bespoke handmade fused glass art, splashbacks and memorial jewellery, but following ‘school’ in Murano pushes the boundaries of heat and gravity to control, blend and shape molten glass in a flame.

What started out as outlet for creativity, has progressed through continual development alongside glass masters from around the world, to crafting contemporary glass designs inspired by playing with light, nature and the desire to keep advancing within the glass medium.

Heartwood Glass brings ‘Glassy Love’ to all through individual pieces crafted with love and attention to detail, encouragement to get out and about in Herts and find “HeART Abandonments”, or for those that want to try the medium through face to face, make at home or virtual workshops created to suit all ages.

I am a jeweller that works in silver and glass.Colour is a strong element in my work. I tended to use blue with the use of turquoise and lapis lazuli, now other colours are getting a strong showing. Originally my work had repeated geometric shapes in my designs,which I enamel. Then with the addition of Precious Metal Clay I found the designs tend to have a freer, more organic structure, which contrasts with the geometric shapes. I still used enamel to add colour to the silver, for example, creating stars, dots and zig-zags on my rings. A later addition to my jewellery is making my own glass beads giving me freedom to use colours and shapes I want,and producing a totally handmade piece of jewellery . I love trying out different materials,and seeing the colour and fun in them:leather,fabric,felt , fused glass, coloured wire and resin.The result is combining different media to create an complete piece of jewellery, which each media fits in and brings out the other,such as felt and glass,or a plain blue bead come to life with other colours such as lime green glass and silver.
I also have been making fused glass objects such as bowls and coasters.A the moment experimenting with soap dishes.

To add to all this I have been teaching my various skills at workshops with both children and adults which has been rewarding and enjoyable.

‘I love to create unique art that makes people smile!’
Self confessed glass nerd with a endless imagination and excitement for my work.
Using a broad range of self-taught glass cutting and fusing techniques, i design and create intricate glass art. Inspired by a wide range of sources, including comic, pop art, tattoo, photography and art in its wider context.
I use techniques such as airbrushing, powder printing, freehand painting, and sgraffito prior to kiln firing,. Using my love of vintage photography alongside my glass to ensure my creations are truly unique.

Mary Ann has experimented with different styles and textures, using a palette knife in much of her work and has exhibited in Herts and London.

Mary Ann has experimented with different styles and textures and has been painting for as long as she can remember.
A self-taught artist who has, over the years attended numerous workshops, some by eminent artists themselves, . She has been a contestant in the 2016 Sky Landscape Artist of the Year competition.

She says she is "travelling on an artistic journey that continues on a never ending roller coaster of discovery."

"I am excited by the magic of paint and never cease to be amazed at the level of complexity and versatility just one brushstroke can achieve," she says.

Her home country, the UK, has been inspirational in her artistic development. Recently the red earth of Australia and the azure of the sea have been feeding her endless curiosity for subject matter to put to canvas. Mary Ann has featured in several local art exhibitions on the outskirts of London. Currently, Mary Ann has been experimenting with thick layers of paint laid on with a palette knife, using bold, bright colours, depicting a series of scenes showing everyday people at play or at work, on the beach or among their friends, catching them momentarily in a scene as if through candid camera.

Mary Ann continues to paint with both brush and palette knife. She has also allowed her long-standing fascination with the sea to come through her work, developing a series of colourful coastal scenes, reflecting her fascination with wind-lashed islands such as Hawaii and Fiji, where the sun sets in a bright red-gold glow and the palm trees sway in the tropical breeze. You can almost feel the breeze brushing your face as you take in the bright exotic colours, following humbly in the giant footsteps of the trail left by the likes of Gaugin and Cezanne.

"Colour is the key to my work," she explains. "Without colour life would be a very dull place. I feel my job is to project that colour on to walls in generous, daring quantities, providing an uplifting and happy interlude for the viewer."

Inspired by a love of nature, Heather’s aim as an artist is to engage and intrigue the viewer and draw them into her work. She mindfully explores colour and light in each painting, conscious of how these elements lift the spirit and encourage connection with the subject.
The seasons, water and changing light all provide rich influences on her art. Her paintings are an emotional response to what she sees rather than a facsimile encouraging the viewer to find something different each time they look. She works chiefly in acrylics and acrylic inks which lend themselves to working quickly and expressively with a glorious array of colours.
As well as working as an artist Heather demonstrates her working process to art societies around the UK and has also taught at the JoeDaisy Studio in Reading. She regularly exhibits at Contemporary Art Fairs, The Mardleybury Gallery and various art shows.

Her paintings can be viewed on my website: www.heathermillerpaintings.com. Follow her on instagram at: heathermillerpaintings

I have a real passion for painting the local landscape, the views and vistas in and around Harpenden are my inspiration.

I use bright vivid colour and expressive impasto textures to try and capture the essence of a particular landscape. The Nickey Line, The Avenue of Lime Trees in Rothhamsted Park, The Southdown Ponds and Harpenden Common are my main sources of inspiration. I am fascinated by the changing seasons and how these affect the colours and moods of paintings. My technique and approach to painting has been influenced by a number of artists over the years, I admire Pissarro and Sisley in terms of their compositional themes, along with Henri Mattise and the Fauves with the vivid and exciting use of colour in their palette. I have had a series of exhibitions and one-man shows in London and the home counties, while my work has been exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London and it is also represented in private collections in the USA, the Far East, South Africa and Europe.