THE BEST THING ABOUT MEMORIES...

...IS MAKING THEM.

Oh my goodness gracious! Where have the past three years gone?

I guess I could say they've gone in a blur of creativity, learning, re-inventing and hard work. And to all intents and purposes they have!

Having spent the best part of five years guddling about in a burn in my wellies in all weathers to collect pottery, the sheen had kind of gone off that particular project and besides, my wellies kept splitting and the woman in the local charity shop was getting suspicious about my motives for buying more than average amounts of rubber footwear (it's a small town, people talk). Anyway, I decided it was time to diversify slightly and find a warmer pastime.

Through a process of elimination (I eliminated anything to do with cooking, baking, children or small rivers) I found myself drawn to glass and particularly the combination of photography and glass - which in a way, carries on from the idea of putting images onto pottery.

As with most things, my subconscious probably came into play with memories of my mother and her "family heirlooms" (everything my mum had in the house that was over 2 years old was deemed a family heirloom in a vain attempt to create an air of mystique around a Woolies vase). The only "heirlooms" I was interested in were the photographs and general ephemera which are integral to a family's history and these are what led me to preserve them in glass.

It's taken almost two years, lots of learning, cut fingers, trial and error, experiments, bubbles, cracks, disasters, frustration, money and the creation of a whole new studio (that's for another blog post...) but my customer base is growing along with my joy in taking other peoples' precious memories and making them a permanent thing which I hope some day will become a real "family heirloom".

More of my recent work can be found on my website www.elleandpea.co.uk