I am a trained graphic designer with a degree from Liverpool John Moores University. I worked in graphic design and computer games industries for 35 years, initially as an artist, then as an art team leader and project manager. Once I stopped being hands-on as an artist for my day job, I started trying other mediums and fell in love with the magic of heat when applied to glass. That joy has never left me. I start with drawings from life, then move to a single line design and cutting plan before considering what glass and technique to use to create the finished piece. After that, there can be many iterations. My reaction to something is entirely emotional, so I have to be 100% happy that the glass version is a true representation of what I felt. The subject matter and feeling about it can often come from a teenage experience, so it seems experiences are absorbed and hang around waiting to be "liberated".
I have always worked in layers, and have now developed a style that fuses those layers together, concealing them in the kiln. I work with colour on under-layers and paint detail with ground glass on the top layer, as medieval glass artists did. This seems to suit me, and my range of garden birds are expanding using this technique.
My work has become more nature-focused as I spend more time in my garden studio. After 6 years here at Oaklands we are starting to see the changes we have made come to fruition. We now have veg, fruit, flowers and water, which all help bring wildlife in and make it a more inspiring place to be.
Ally Noble
