Graeme Hawes | House of Glass Gallery — House of Glass Gallery

Graeme Hawes,
United Kingdom

Man wearing a paint-splattered apron working at an art studio table with colorful paint rolls and supplies

Graeme Hawes is a glassblower and designer based in Leicester, England, whose practice combines traditional glassmaking techniques with a contemporary approach to form, colour and surface. His work explores the optical qualities of glass, with particular attention to the ways light, colour and pattern interact within hand-blown and cut forms.

Curatorial Profile

Colorful faceted glass sphere with concentric rainbow rings on a white surface

Graeme Hawes’ practice is grounded in a long engagement with the technical traditions of glassmaking and a sustained interest in the material’s optical possibilities. Trained at Sunderland University and later at the Royal College of Art, he has developed a practice that moves between individual studio work, small-scale production and larger bespoke commissions.

Light and colour are central to Hawes’ approach. Rather than treating colour as a surface addition, he builds relationships between different shades within the glass, allowing overlapping layers to produce new tones and visual effects. As light passes through and across these forms, refraction and reflection continually alter their appearance, making the optical behaviour of the material an active part of the work.

Glass cutting introduces another dimension to this investigation. Drawing on techniques refined over many years, Hawes uses cutting to articulate pattern, texture and surface while creating further opportunities for light to interact with the object. Traditional processes are therefore retained not as historical references, but as tools that can be reconsidered through contemporary form and composition.

This balance between technical knowledge and visual experimentation extends across Hawes’ practice, from individual objects to lighting and bespoke architectural commissions. Whether working at an intimate or larger scale, his approach remains closely connected to the physical properties of glass and to the transformation that occurs when material, colour and light are brought together.

House of Glass Gallery

Artist Statement

I became captivated by glass from my first experience of a glassblowing workshop. The environment itself is intense — the heat, noise and physical demands of the process stand in striking contrast to the possibility of creating something delicate and precise. That relationship between the demanding nature of the material and the beauty it can produce continues to fascinate me.

As a glassblower, I love creating handcrafted pieces that celebrate the material itself. My main interest lies in the relationship between glass, light and colour, particularly the optical qualities of glass and the way light refracts and reflects as it passes through a form.

Every colour combination is deliberate. I enjoy exploring how overlapping shades interact and merge to create entirely new hues, and how these relationships change as the object is viewed in different light.

I have also spent many years developing my glass-cutting skills and am particularly interested in how traditional cutting techniques can be reimagined within contemporary forms. Pattern and texture allow me to alter both the surface of the glass and the way it responds to light.

The techniques I use to shape, cut and decorate glass are deeply rooted in traditional craftsmanship, but I bring them together through a contemporary approach. For me, the work begins with an understanding of the material and continues through exploring what light, colour and craftsmanship can reveal within it.