View Amanda Simmons’ works featured on Ceramics Now Magazine
Amanda Simmons makes kiln formed and cameo engraved glass vessels – tall, sculptural, thin walled columns – from her studio in Corsock. She is fascinated in the forms created by gravity within the kiln, the vessels becoming more complex as she perfects the slumping method. She has worked with glass for the past 9 years, studying at Central St Martin’s School of Art & Design in London, before re-locating to Dumfries & Galloway in 2005.
She combines these techniques with her interest in making marks in glass with diamond point engraving and a diamond wheel lathe. Her work involves many processes of firing, coldworking (working with diamond tools to shape and smooth) and sandblasting.
She is motivated by many everyday themes such as love, baking and the rugged hills of Dumfries and Galloway, but also draws on her biomedical sciences past life in the form of toxic botanicals and therapeutic drugs.
She recently exhibited at the Crafts Council show for contemporary applied arts, COLLECT with Craftscotland and has since become a member of Contemporary Applied Arts in London. A winner of the Gold Award for Innovation, Creativity and potential to export at Origin 2010, she has just returned from a research trip to investigate the applied arts market on the East and West coast of USA funded by the Crafts Council and Uk Trade & Investment..
A keen supporter of the contemporary craft scene, she has just been selected to become the Creative Business Advisor (for Crafts) by Dumfries & Galloway Council, to stimulate, strengthen and support the creative industries sector across the region.
Amanda Simmons’ C.V. (resume) – View her works
EXHIBITIONS
2011 – ‘Living with Glass’ Vessel & Contemporary Glass Society, London
– Fife Contemporary Art & Craft, ‘Treat’ Pop-up shop, St. Andrews
– COLLECT 2011, Crafts Council, Saatchi Gallery, London
– Trove, Scottish Glass Society, Perth Museum & Art Gallery
– Unite, Collins Gallery, Glasgow with Craftscotland
– Spring Contemporary Craft, New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham
2010 – Origin: The London Craft Fair
– ‘In the Making’ RBSA Gallery, Birmingham
– Lustre, Contemporary Craft Fair, Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham University
– Glass Quake II, Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA, USA
– The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair, Manchester
– Creative Christmas, ZEST, Contemporary Glass Gallery, London
2009 – Origin: The London Craft Fair
– Glass in the Window II, Leeds Craft & Design Centre
– Homes & Interiors Scotland SECC Glasgow, selected by CraftScotland
2008 – Six of One, Spotlight Show at Blackwell Arts & Crafts House
– Gifted, National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
– Lustre, Contemporary Craft Fair, Lakeside Arts Centre, Nottingham University
– Scottish Glass Society Annual Exhibition, Peter Potter Gallery, Haddington
– The Affordable Art Fair 2008-2010 London (with Cafe-Jello Gallery)
– Art Hand Design, Lethaby Gallery, Central St Martin’s, London
PUBLICATIONS / ARTICLES
– Glass Network (magazine for Contemporary Glass Society) Front cover image and article June 2011
– Neues Glas (New Glass Magazine), No 4 2011
– Homes & Interiors Scotland, June 2011
– Craft & Design Magazine, Feature Interview, March/April 2010
– Maker of the Month Article at CraftScotland, August 2010
– Dumfries & Galloway Life, September 2010
– Bullseye Glass USA, Blog article on Gold Award at Origin 2010
– Period Living, Craft highlight article, May issue 2009
– Homes & Gardens, Vessels featured in October issue 2009
– Glass Jewellery – article and images included in book by Yvonne Coffey 2009
– Woman & Home – article looking at craftspeople turning their passion into a career Nov 2008
– Featured vessel, Craft and Design Magazine 2008
– Contemporary Details, The definitive Interior Design Sourcebook by Nonie Nieswand (Mitchell Beazley) 2007
EDUCATION / QUALIFICATIONS
– Masterclass with Jiri Harcuba and April Surgent, Glass Engraving, North Lands Creative Glass, Wick 2008
– Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies – Glass and Architecture (Distinction) Central St Martin’s College of Art & Design, London (Tutors: Caroline Swash and Helen Maurer) 2004-2005
– Fusing & Slumping, Mould Making, Glass Casting, Cold working Modules, Westminster College, London 2003
– Stained Glass with Ray Bradley, Institute of Art, London 2002
– BSc (Hons) Clinical Sciences (Perfusion) 1996-2004
– BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology), Kings College London 1992-1996
AWARDS
– Gold Award winner at Origin 2010 – Crafts Council and UK Trade & Investment Award for Export (research trip to USA)
– Commendation in the Aesthetica Creative Works Competition, Aesthetica Magazine 2010
– Craft Maker Award 2010 Creative Scotland & Dumfries and Galloway Council
– Professional Development Grant from the Scottish Arts Council (now Creative Scotland) to help attend Origin 09
– ‘Highly Commended’ BCTF Award for Excellence at the British Craft Trade Fair
– Craft Makers Award 2008, Scottish Arts Council (now Creative Scotland) & Dumfries and Galloway Council
– Craft Makers Award 2006, Scottish Arts Council & Dumfries and Galloway Council
EMPLOYMENT / PRESENTATIONS
– Creative Business Advocate (Craft) for Dumfries & Galloway Council – Current
– Full-time self-employed artist 2005 – Current
– Invited International Teacher at Creative Glass – Kilnformed glass vessels, Switzerland, UK and Austria 2011
– Master class in Kilnformed Glass Vessels, Warm Glass, Bristol, January 2012
– ‘Designing for the Market’ Presentation for Cultural Enterprise Office, June 2011
– ‘Trove’ Artists talk at Perth Museum & Art Gallery, Scottish Glass Society AGM September 2011
– Craft Makers Talk, Artists Gathering, Dumfries and Galloway 2011
– Teaching Kiln Formed Glass, Tullie House, Carlisle 2009 – 2011
– Teaching Kiln Formed Glass, Gracefield Arts, Dumfries 2008 – Current
– Teaching Primary/Secondary School Teachers Stained Glass through CREATE 2008
– Kiln formed Glass Workshops, Taigh Chearsabhagh Museum and Art Centre, North Uist 2007
– Kids Craft Workshops, National Museum of Costume, Shambellie House, Dumfries & Galloway 2007
– Clinical Perfusionist, Kings College Hospital 1996-2004
– BT Telecommunications Engineer 1986-1990
CURRENT STOCKISTS
– Contemporary Applied Arts, London
– Ruthin Craft Centre, Wales
– Blackwell Arts & Crafts House, nr Windermere
– Plumbline Gallery, St Ives
– Bircham Gallery, Holt
– GalleryTop, Matlock
– Platform Gallery, Clitheroe
– Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries
– Oriel Myrddin Gallery, Carmarthen
– Designs, Castle Douglas
– New Ashgate Gallery, Farnham
– Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA, USA
Visit the artist’s website and her Tumblr blog.
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