Ruth
Dresman makes vessels in coloured glass, with sandblasted design which
emphasise the colour transparency and translucency of the material. She
has evolved a distinctive technique which is exclusive to her studio,
based on the controlled removal of layers of coloured glass to describe
her designs.
After studying 3D Design: Glass at West Surrey College of Art & Design,
Ruth worked as a studio assistant at The Glasshouse, London and then became
craftsperson in residence at a gallery in Salisbury. She then spent a
year travelling to the USA, Mexico, Indonesia and India before returning
to her native Wiltshire to set up her independent glass studio in 1986.
Ruth was commissioned by Buckingham Palace on behalf of Her Majesty The
Queen to make gifts for the Sultan of Brunei and his family during the
Royal Visit in 1998, and has also made architectural commissions for public
and private sites, including an architectural sculpture commission at
New Salisbury Hospital in collaboration with blacksmith Jayne Fortune.
Ruth is based in West Knoyle near Warminster.
She
initially undertook all stages of the making of her pieces, including
blowing and forming, but gradually realised that her skills and time were
better channelled into design and decoration of the work and now the 25%
lead crystal glass forms, primarily bowls and bottles, are blown under
Ruth's direction by Andrew Potter. Each piece is unique, and the processes
which go into making it are extraordinarily time consuming. Her work involves
close attention to detail, fine drawing and very detailed cutting, using
a scalpel to create a series of 'resists' in adhesive plastic sheet. This
is followed by subtle control of a difficult process: using sand blasting
to erode the surfaces she has left exposed to different degrees to achieve
varying effects and depths of colour. Sand blasting is a noisy, dusty
process which makes for low visibility and requires the use of protective
clothing. Through years of practice Ruth has overcome these obstacles
and developed an understanding of how the resist process and the careful
use of high pressure sand can yield particular effects of colour and texture.
Certain themes are recurrent in her work: many of her images are submarine: fish, octopus, seaweed and shells, which suit the transparency of glass and the glimpses it affords of designs made on opposite surfaces of the vessels. She also enjoys observing animals, birds, flowers, leaves and seeds, and translating their forms and their textures into her works. Ruth's medium is not only glass, but light: she designs the way light travels through her pieces, achieving great depth of colour and piercing highlights of pure transparency.
Career History
1981-84 BA Hons. in Three Dimensional design at West Surrey College of Art & Design
(main study glass, second subject forged iron )
1984-85 Studio assistant at The Glasshouse, London - received a Crafts Council Advanced Training grant
1986-88 Craftsman in residence at Courcoux & Courcoux Gallery - received a setting-up grant from Southern Arts
1988 One year spent travelling to the USA, Mexico, Indonesia and India
1989 Return to Wiltshire and set up Ruth Dresman Glass on a full time basis
2004 Selected as Associate Fellow of The Guild of Glass Engravers
2007 Selected as Fellow of The Guild of Glass Engravers
Recent Exhibitions
1999 Wylye Valley Arts Trail Open Studios
Six Chapel Row, Bath - “Four Aspects of Glass”
2000-2004 Chelsea Crafts Fair, London
2002 “New Glass”, Craft Centre and Design Gallery, Leeds City Art Gallery
2002 Arte Moda Gallery, Maastricht, Netherlands
2002-2005 “Hand to Eye”, a Crafts Council touring exhibition
2003,2004 Matthew Burt Splinter Group, Spring Exhibition
2004 “Cutting Edge”, Guild of Glass Engravers, London
2005 “21st Century Glass”, Dan Klein, London
Collections
H.M. The Queen
H.R.H. The Sultan of Brunei
Nottingham Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Ruth Dresman Glass +44 1747 830085