This beautiful vase is inspired by the pebble beaches and coastal waters of Arran.

Artist statement:
"Finally, I got to Arran!
I never know quite what is going to inspire me in a new place. I have ideas that I'm working on and tend to look around that concept, but hopefully my eyes are always open for new things, colours, shapes, whatever.

In Arran, I loved the colours of the pebbles and rocks on the shore. I was told it was due to the peaty water. The range of sizes and colours were stunning - golds to white then into the dark waters reflected under the skies. Fantastic!"

Technique
"These pieces are freeblown from soda glass.

I use only clear glass which is melted at about 1050 degrees. The glass is gathered from the furnace onto blowing irons in 2 gathers allowing the first one cool before the second gathering.

The glass parison is then coated with powdered coloured glass with 2 colours on the top to give some depth to the pattern and one colour on the base.

This is then heated up to fuse the colour to the base glass. The whole piece is then rolled through larger chips of glass which have been laid out on a heated marver. These form the 'rocks'

The whole piece is then reheated and shaped before blowing. It is continually reheated, blown and shaped until the required shape is achieved.

The piece is then knocked off the blowing iron and attached to a punty iron on the base to enable the top of the piece to be heated up and opened out into the final form."