Glass is a fascinating medium to work with. It is both tactile and fragile - it can be soft yet brittle and should be treated with respect. All my glass is kiln formed - this means that I cut, grind, clean and then fuse the glass in a kiln to produce items such as jewellery, glass fishes and dishes.

I mainly use Bullseye glass which has the best colour range in both opal and transparent glass although, as it is manufactured in the USA, makes it quite expensive too. I also like to fuse "float" glass which is the scrap glass left over from picture framing. It has a lower fusing rate which makes it ideal for adding inclusions such as washers and razor blades. I also occasionally use dichroic coated glass - an invention of the aerospace industry where sheet glass is coated with different metals to create a colour-shift - but again it all adds to the cost so I use it sparingly. I am not in the least bit technically minded which is why I surprise myself by the time and effort I have taken to learn about the technicalities of fusing glass. I am extremely snobbish about cheap glass imports, mixing different co-efficient glass types and quick fusing techniques because they don't result in a quality product. I expect my glass items to endure and keep their quality.

What's my inspiration? It changes constantly and this season's glass is inspired by patchwork quilts, folk art and hearts. I love colour, particularly colours that are brash and bright like the colours found in artificial textile and food dyes. You can almost see the additives and chemical dyes in my work!