Clare Gaylard Artisan Glass 

This is not the mist of early dawn, it's tear gas. We took child #3 to Paris to do a weekend's drawing at galleries and museums and ended up both staying and being in the epicentre of the current protests. We retreated from riot police on this bridge and got a dose of tear gas while passing underneath. We moved around barricades, protests and metro closures all weekend. Child #3 said it was the best holiday ever.

I got out some (usually avoided) pink glass to make something for Valentines day - as I have recently had scant time at the torch and it seemed a good excuse. What rose to the surface was a set of three rings - Octopus, Tentacle and Eye, if that's not romantic I don't know what is.

In a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower. Thank you William Blake.

....made cunningly. Of elements....' John Donne Holy Sonnets

I get told off for not wearing my own stuff - so with a bit of time but not enough for immersive work, I decided to make myself some things. Warm amber glass with hints of gold leaf. The last couple of storage heaters in our house go off/out today - then tomorrow afternoon we find out if the new  central heating operates in an ancient house.

Probably looking exactly as it has done from medeival times. I tried to get the castle in but decided not to gild the lilly. It's been a chilly week to gradually lose all heat in the house.

'First Frost Glass' - ice outside and indoors it's pretty cold too, we are in a ten day process of having our ancient heating system replaced. My torch will be one of the few warm places when I can get to it. These are calmer than I am.

Doing a lot of breaking ice on puddles 'for the birds'.

It's only January but we are already hatching plans for the summer, I will be exhibiting at The Quay Gallery at Snape Maltings with two other talented artist/makers, Clive Barnett and Madeline Nightingale. We got together to take a look at some work in progress. For the highly organised, the diary dates are 25th-31st July and our exhibition is called 'Above and Below'.

It has gone suddenly cold.

Christmas Day in Framlingham and New Years Day on the coast at Shingle Street - subtle Suffolk.

Thanks to everyone who came by today - my workbench looks this pristine twice a year. A lovely cold, sunny day but warm at the torch. I managed to disemburse myself of new work before I had the chance to photograph it - which is an interesting problem to have, so here is the view from my studio.

This Saturday afternoon I will be at my studio in Earl Soham from 12 noon to 5pm - visitors welcome. For those further afield you can find my work in Essex at The Sentinel Gallery and in Norfolk at Great Walsingham Gallery.

A box of treasures for the Sentinel Gallery in Wivenhoe, exhibition now open.

These Autumnal Things arrived when I was at the torch a week or so ago and refused to fit in to my gold leaf agenda. This is what walking (very slowly due to three-legged dog) through wet leaves and looking at berries and dried seed pods does to a person. This person.

A long autumnal drive to Norfolk to take some glass for the Winter Exhibition at this inspiring gallery. 

I'm at Blackthorpe Barn this weekend with a tranche of my work. Setting up a multitude of tiny elements in a medieval barn is interesting work.... This six weekend run of British Crafts has been called a 'Suffolk Chelsea Crafts Fair' - which is engagingly confusing - and appropriate.