Clare Gaylard Artisan Glass 

A few weekends of demonstrating how to make twisted glass cane leaves me with a workbench littered with latticino. Its such a swift, alchemical moment and the results are extremely satisfying. Last SOS weekend coming up!

Bees and birds, markings on coats & feathers and beady eyes.

The wildflowers were in my studio and after a week had created such a vibrant confetti that I just left it.

Totem.

I don't think it's projecting to suggest this waterlogged bee is finding all this rain as frustrating as the rest of us.

Well the truth is somewhere in between. My studio workbench is deliberately pristine for Open Studios and my home workbench is utterly chaotic as I'm working to various commission deadlines. There is probably and ap that can merge them to show the somewhere in between where I usually am. ...

Among the new and returning guests on the first SOS weekend were Lark Images. Chris and Valerie combine their skills with photography and bookbinding and wanted to show me how they had used some of my glass buttons and beads. These handbound, leather journals (or sketchbooks..) were elegant and meticulously made. Find Lark Images on the 'Harleston and Waveney Art Trail' and on Instagram...

I'm open every weekend but on two trails with other talented local artists working in a range of media.

Floral focal bead in pink, amber and Celadon.

I’m on two Trails and open each weekend in June. SOS is a lovely event and a lead into a full summer with my work to be found at The Suffolk Craft Society Summer Exhibition and two more exhibitions in The Quay Gallery and The Pond Gallery in July and August at Snape Maltings

Walking at dusk, still a bit chilly.

I've been working on a commission which involves silver-leaf so I seized the opportunity to add a Viking and  a vessel to my 'Treasure in the Landscape' glass.

...serve to tempt me from  this craft of verse..' WB Yeats. It's more 'take' than 'tempt' for me. My first day back at the torch for well over a week and my first walk in the fields for the same. I'm uncomfortable about the sun going down without me but it seemed to manage and I got a handful of treasures from the hedgerows to say welcome back.

Thanks to everyone who passed through The Quay Gallery. My next project (apart from commissions) is Suffolk Open Studios, I will be open every weekend in June and am part of two Trails. Information to follow!

Last day at The Quay tomorrow: lovely, light and tranquil place watching the tide come in and out, almost like being on a boat. Last day tomorrow.

A whiplash weather day, four parts hailstorms, four of sun and blue sky, four of horizontal rain and strong winds and finally a rainbow which I'm taking as a promise it won't happen again. Here is some Sol glass and a Midsummer figure.

‘Love Letter to a Museum’ necklace includes the following glass elements which were all (inc gold leaf) entirely sculpted in the flame: 3 amphorae, 4 spheres, 6 leaves, 10 planets, 10 raindrops, 20 loops and 64 other miscellaneous glass beads.

This sort of thing comes from happy hours spent in museums leaning over Graeco-Roman artefacts. They will be coming with me to The Quay at Snape Maltings where I will be for the next week with Annette Rolston and Rob Wheeler.