Hi, I’m Helen from Avonside Glass (and also Avonside Cakery). Primarily a self-taught glass artist, I have attended a few workshops run by those more expert than me, and I work with stained glass mainly using the Tiffany (copper foil) technique although I do make the occasional leaded piece.
One thing I have learnt since I started dabbling in stained glass is that it’s really hard to get decent photographs of what I make. There are distractions behind things hung at windows or positioned on window ledges (such as trees, garden furniture or even the dog) and a ‘flat’ photograph, taken with the item laid on a white background, just doesn’t do the item justice as it doesn’t show the colours and/or textures of the glass with the light behind it.
Everything you see on here has been made entirely by me in my workshop just outside Pershore. I source my glass from within the UK, usually from Creative Glass Guild in Bristol (although most is made in the USA). I cut, grind, foil, solder, clean and polish everything myself. Sometimes I create my own designs, but I often buy patterns as well, usually from Etsy.
Because of the different textures, colour variations, iridescent coatings, creases, bubbles etc that occur naturally in handmade glass, no two pieces are ever the same, even when I use the same pattern multiple times.
While stained glass pieces are fairly robust, please remember they are made from glass, and may include lead, and therefore shouldn’t be regarded as toys.
Need help?