EVENT: Longtime UK trade fair hosts large selection of glass

Martin Andrews, stone collection bowl, photo courtesy: british craft trade fair

The longest running trade fair in the UK—British Craft Trade Fair, finishes its three-day stint in Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate today. BCTF has been promoting the hand-made work of hundreds of exclusively British and Irish artists for 35 years. Strictly to the trade only, no manufactured products or products created overseas are allowed at the fair.

Some of the glass exhibitors for BCTF 2012 include Callula Glass- Handcrafted In Britain By Joanne Taylor which offers seasonal collections of handcrafted fused glass for the home including decorative pieces designed to work individually or together. Other exhibitors include Caroline Lukehurst: kiln-fired glass wall panels and dishes combining color and photographic images, Chesilisk Mosaics & Tile: glass mosaics: tables, pictures, tiles, and cards hand-crafted into decorative and functional artworks, Gillian Hulse Glass: collections of individually crafted illustrative and contemporary kiln-formed glass panels, bowls and arcs, Glasstastik: a range of kiln-formed glass tableware, vessels, panels, deep stacks and lost-wax castings all handmade in Lancashire, and many more.

Scott Benefield and Andrea Spencer collaborate on a design line for their Northern Ireland-based company BTU Glass Studio.

A variety of glass artists will be showing their work at the fair. One glass artist of particular interest is Scott Benefield from BTU Glass Studio, who will be showing his intricately blown glass vessels with the firm’s signature sophisticated plaid-like patterns. Glass artist Phil Atril will also be present at the fair showcasing new sculptural and one-off pieces from his “Horizon” collection.

British glassblower Martin Andrews is known for his hand-blown pieces of glass that mimic other materials such as water and sunlight. He will be showcasing work from his “Stone” collection at BCTF.

Glass artist Melissa Nicholls employs cup casing and threading techniques combined with fused pick-ups to create her work. Perhaps most known for her pod pieces, which are finished by grinding and polishing lenses into the outer layers to give a glimpse of the interior beauty, the Pods are just a part of her creative range. At BCTF she will be showcasing her blown transparent “dew drops” which glisten in bold colors of emerald and amber. The fair also includes a dedicated Newcomers Gallery where each year 72 new makers are introduced.

—Suzann Caputo