Sue Weinstock - Biog
Sue has a BA hons in Fine Art Practice from Buckinghamshire New University. During her degree she began working with fused glass, enjoying the alchemy of how metals and other substances change when heated to 820 C between pieces of glass in a kiln. The results had a feeling of rusting elements by the seaside and the colours of rocks and beach sands. Even better the blue bubbles from copper leaf had a real feeling of the airiness of the sea. Sue used this early work as the base for mixed media paintings but after completing her degree won funding from Oxfordshire Womens’ Forum to train further in making kiln formed glass.
Over the last 4 years Sue has been experimenting and working to get a sense of the light and energy of the sea into her pieces. As she is landlocked in Oxford but loves the sea she has been aiming to get nearer to the water often by creating waves both in form and light. Possibly this is the result of being a very keen, but maybe not very talented, windsurfer and dinghy sailor and spending many happy hours immersed in the sea swimming after her board and boat.
The pictures of waves with an element of relief have started as a sculpture that is then used as a type of mould to give shape to the resulting glass piece. Colour is added to this through metal powders, metal leaf and powdered glass amongst other materials.
In contrast the smaller abstract pieces have been made as a series beginning with a theme based on the structures and the feel of St Catherine's Castle in Fowey, Cornwall. The castle is an ancient sea fort and so high up with an amazing view of the sea and walls that have been aged and eroded by the sea air. From this very literal starting point the pieces have been made in a very spontaneous manner from layering of metals and enamels. Often this leads to unexpected chemical results in the kiln perhaps mimicking the effects of sea salt on the walls and vegetation around the castle.
Sue lives in Oxford (dreaming of relocating to the seaside) with her partner, teenager and 2 year old as well as two cats. She runs her glass studio from here, with a growing collection of kilns, combining making work with teaching classes in fused glass.
