Introducing Lauren from Lo-Fi Art and Glass. Where every item is handmade!! From her home in Port Stephens, New South Wales, Lauren hand creates one off and small batches of stained glass pieces.
Find out why Lauren started creating and why she is so passionate about the value of handmade.
Tell us about your creations and your handmade process.
I create one-off and very small batch stained and fused glass suncatchers, portraits, homewares and jewelry. I am passionate about saving old glass from landfill, so love reclaiming old architectural glass from doors and windows, as well as reclaiming vintage and broken china to repurpose and create into something new.
All of my designs are sketched by hand, usually with a cat sitting beside me, and I use a variety of new and old hand tools to bring these designs to life in glass. I also like to incorporate natural elements into my pieces, like snakeskin shed or cicada wings - it's always amazing to me what stunning materials nature provides us with!
Tell us a bit about your journey to becoming a handmade artist.
For 20 years I worked as a Rehab and Career Development Counsellor, and was super passionate about that work. But a few years ago I realised that I was burning out, and so I looked for a new hobby that might 'get me through'. I've always been a crafty lass, and have tried just about every kind of art and craft I can think of over the years. In fact, if you looked in my art and craft cupboard you might even call me a hoarder.
Even through my years of 'day work' I still found time to create on the side, it was always a 'hobby'. But, when I took a class with an old school friend to learn how to leadlight, something lit up inside me and I knew that this was going to be more than a 'hobby' - I'd finally found the art form that drew me in completely on a visceral level, that engaged all my senses at the one time.
I knew immediately that working with glass was it for me!
So I started small, taking on pet portraits as commission pieces while I still worked my day job 3 or 4 days a week, before completely severing ties with my old industry and giving it a crack as an artist. I've been concentrating solely on art now for around 5 years.
What is your inspiration or where do you find inspiration?
I love being able to reclaim vintage and antique glass, and to be able to transform it into a piece that will bring joy to a whole new audience. I'm obsessed with colour and texture, and am often inspired by the natural patterns found in nature.
I love challenging concepts of traditional glass work, whether it's incorporating novel materials into my pieces such as snakeskin sheds or insect wings, or creating pieces on the cheekier side like nude portraits. Although it may not appear that way, glass is actually a really versatile medium to work with, which allows me to follow inspiration in a lot of different directions!
Where did you learn your craft?
I took an initial course in leadlight with a local teacher, after roping in a good friend to help me find a new hobby. I had no idea that working with glass would become such a huge part of my life! After those initial lessons I found myself researching different types of glass work and falling in love with the Tiffany method where we use copper tape to solder individual pieces of glass together to create what most people know as 'stained glass'.
I'm lucky enough to have the world's most supportive (and indulgent) partner who has been behind me for each experiment and new technique I try, and the glass art community is a generous bunch, with many artists openly sharing their knowledge and skills online - I love that this ancient art form is constantly evolving, as we collectively push the boundaries of traditional styles and techniques!
Why is handmade artistry so important to you?
There's something wonderfully immersive in the very nature of making things by hand! For me, I love the tactile elements of working with glass and metal - the different textures of glasses, the smell of the chemicals, even the odd cut - it's all part of the experience. Another really personal element for me is that I actually use many of my dad's old tools that he gifted me after his stroke, and it's a beautiful way for me to connect with him.
Working my hands keeps me mindful - as someone with a chronic health condition that at times can disable me from using my body in ways that I'd like to, creating slow art by hand keeps me feeling empowered and more in control. I also love the language that is passed down through handmade artistry; not just in skills, but in the stories that each new piece helps to tell.
Lauren is a much loved member of the MadeIt Collective, posting regularly in our Facebook Group ~ The Handmade Marketplace of Australia ~ and sharing their new creations as they are released. If you haven't connected with Lo-Fi Art and Glass make sure you join our FB Group and say hi !
