Created in Wales with love and passion.
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Anne Collins - Contemporary Glass Artist Originally from Guilsfield, Nr Welshpool, Anne moved from London and back to Montgomeryshire in 1997. Whilst in London Anne worked for a number of years in marketing and public relations. She was member of the Chartered Institute of Management, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and the Institute of Business Advisors. With a B.A. and a Diploma in Education Anne also taught business studies and human resource management for various colleges within the London area. Anne returned to Wales to take up the position as business advisor for the then Development Board for Rural Wales, where she worked for 18 months. Anne left the DBRW to work for the Andrew Logan Museum of Sculpture in Berriew, Nr Welshpool as Director of the museum. Whilst there, she built visitor numbers up from 500 to 5,000 per annum and introduced an education programme. In 2003 Anne visited a Glass Exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham. It was there that she saw, and bought, her first piece of fused glass art - a large dish. She loved it so much, she decided to learn how it was created. After attending her first glass fusing course at the Rainbow Glass Studio in Stoke Newington, London Anne was hooked and fell in love with the process of kiln-fired glass. Anne's position of director at the museum was funded by the Arts Council of Wales. After five years, the ACW ceased all funding and sadly she had to leave. During that period, she had continued to attend monthly courses at Rainbow Glass, eventually providing her own glass and hiring the studio facilities, and perfecting her fused glass skills as a hobbyist.
It was always Anne's dream to have a proper studio/workshop and produce functional, fused and cast glass art for the home, garden and business. Finally, in October 2006, her dream was realized when she re-mortgaged her home in Wales, cashed in her pension, and invested everything she had in a 500 sq.ft. workshop in Llanerfyl, some 10 miles from her home.
As well as creating fused and cast glass art including;
wall tiles - borders and inserts, splash-backs, sinks,
bowls, dishes, door inserts for kitchens, bathrooms and
external doors, garden sculptures and jewellery, Anne also runs
glass fusing courses. Three of her former students
have now opened up their own glass studios. "Finally, says Anne, in the autumn of her life she has found her artistic creative side and is working at something she really loves, rather than working because she has to".
Anne's kiln-fired fused glass art
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Rather
than look for alternative employment, Anne decided to continue learning more about the art of glass fusing and
casting. Attending
courses at Creative Glass in Kent, she developed her skills as a
glass artist. Initially, working from a shed in her garden, Anne
created fused glass jewellery, selling it at local shows and
galleries.