Heather Hancock is most emphatically not a stained-glass artist, but she is an artist who works with glass. Her pieces range from large commissions designed for public spaces to smaller works sought by private collectors. Here, the artist chats about her inspiration and why glimmering glass never ceases to excite her.
How did you come to work with glass? It was an epiphany. I saw mosaics in Italy and Spain and realized those floors were 800 years old. The longevity of the material was my starting point, but aesthetically I didn’t want to do anything like those mosaics. I wanted something contemporary, and I felt like glass had so much potential.
But it’s not stained glass? Honestly, I don’t care for stained glass, and I have a specific reason for that: I’m passionate about light and its reflectance. Stained glass blocks light, so it doesn’t appeal to me. I want my work to reflect light.
You seem to be inspired by both city and country. That is true! I would say my work is half nature and half strong, clean lines—I create natural imagery with a very graphic approach.
