Clare Gaylard Glass 

Verdant glass rings based on the foliage details of medieval marginalia. Sculpted entirely in the flame.

Autocorrect is not happy with: Storge, Philia, Eros & Agape so I’m throwing in Amour-propre for good measure! All the loves for Valentines Day, glass rings based on marginalia and the cycle of life.

Happy Year of the Metal Ox! Small things from Asia in lieu of the drums, lion dancers and firecrackers less common in rural Suffolk.

SNOWFLAKES! Making these rings I thought about all the teenagers and young adults I know. Our kids and those in the extended family, their friends, those that find my work and make contact on social media. I’m making this a pre-Valentine post in praise of Snowflakes: complex, unique, individual, fragile yet tenacious in adverse conditions, remarkable!

A perfect example of fragility and resilience, a snowdrop Marginalia glass ring, inspired by illuminated manuscripts, sculpted entirely in the flame.

Snow play glass ring: snowfall, snowflakes, frost and thaw.

Everything is looking better with snow: the bench came back with us from Thailand and three legs are propped up on bricks, I was given the (rusty) armillary from friends who didn’t want it - who wouldn’t want an armillary?

A detail of ‘February’ from my copy of Les Tres Riches Heures, and suddenly apt. Working in front of the flame and next to a kiln is a pragmatic choice in an old house.

A little trail of foliage on deep and luminous blue, Marginalia glass ring sculpted in the flame.

Valiant snowdrops, I hope they survive this weekend's weather predictions!

It’s a bleak day so some jewel-like colours are in order. I’m moving happily between the glow of sunsets and that of illuminated manuscripts for inspiration.

‘I carry the sun in a golden cup. The moon in a silver bag.’ W B Yeats. The full moon a couple of days ago was so large and lovely that I made a detour from sunsets and put it on a glass ring.

Imbolc sunset and the sort of mud that makes walk in the fields like an extreme sport.

Dedication and attention to detail! Among my January orders, a Dad tracked down the (particular) glass ring he saw his daughter admire in an October exhibition.

The morning sun came out to play, a week of winter sunsets! Work in progress: ‘Sundowner’ glass cocktail rings.

My favourite glass sunset so far, alas too small for me - and Jan 29th's sunset the day before.

I'm a bit late updating here, it's been a busy time and I can only do my website from a PC so I fall behind my Facebook and Instagram posts - but here goes... How to tell if the exhaust is drawing off properly.

Two more glass, sunset rings. I think I’ve made my favourite today but will have to wait until tomorrow to see. As soon as I’ve finished sculpting I place the glowing (but no longer molten) piece in a kiln to anneal overnight. This makes them strong and makes the morning (usually) a pleasure and a surprise.

Yesterday’s daily walk prompted me to dig out a childhood favourite: Joan Aiken’s ‘The Kingdom Under the Sea’ with its intricate, sinuous illustrations on marbled papers by Jan Pienkowski.