Peter Layton | LONDON GLASSBLOWING

Peter Layton is one of the world's most respected glass artists and the founder of London Glassblowing; the internationally renowned studio and gallery located on London's Bermondsey Street, famous for being the creative exchange that encourages both established and emerging artistic talent whilst producing some of the most exciting work in contemporary glass art.

[humansofnewyork]

"I’m working on transitioning back into the corporate world after owning my own business." "What did you learn from trying to start a business?" "You have to have a partner that’s committed to the work, and not just the idea of having a business. Everybody loves to think of the title, not a lot of people are willing to write the book."

[peterlaytonglassblowing-blog]

Day 2

Here is Day 2 of my blog for the FT - its got some of the more everyday things about my life, some work, and a great lunch in a fantastic restaurant with my brother George. 

Breakfast these days usually consists of chopped fruit, berries, yogurt and a truly wonderful cereal that I have discovered. It’s made by a company called Eat Natural and consists of toasted seeds, nuts and puffed rice; it’s totally delicious. There’s a morning ritual: stepping out of the bedroom I am greeted by our very old and very deaf marmalade cat, Polly, who wants feeding. She bit me last week and I ended up in A&E, followed by antibiotics. This all came about because our neighbour lent me his Furminator, a gadget for combing her, as she moults all over the place. The combing went well – in fact, she seemed to like it – but when I went to gather the pile of fur that I’d collected on the carpet, she took serious umbrage and sank her teeth into the back of my hand.   

Downstairs I meet Meg, our black collie/labrador mix (another old codger – she’s 14, I think) who desperately needs to fulfil her morning duties, so out we go, bag and brush (she’s moulting, too) in hand. In our previous house, a cottage in Kent, it was simply a matter of opening the back door, but no longer having a garden means heading out for a short walk to the green. We are incredibly lucky to live in a beautifully landscaped development, which is somewhat bizarrely styled to resemble New England. Our youngest son, Ben, who has just graduated and had little option other than to move back home, refers to it as the “suburban nightmare”. But what does he know? We’re settling in here quite nicely.

When I started London Glassblowing nearly 40 years ago, there was little or no market for contemporary glass art. I produced iridised work in those days, and we used to cool off on a little balcony overlooking the Thames. One of my series was called Flotsam and Jetsam, inspired by the oily surface of the water and the rubbish floating by. For most of that time, London Glassblowing was a financial struggle, as in order to get anywhere, we had to set about the daunting task of weaning the British public off their love of cut-glass crystal. My partner of 30 years, Ann, whom I recently married, joined me in our new studio three years ago and has worked wonders in helping to turn it into a profitable business.

This morning I spend some time with one of my team members, Louis Thompson, discussing how preparations are coming along for his show, which opens in our gallery next week. All of my team are glass artists in their own right, so we often hold exhibitions to showcase their work. Louis is, to my mind, one of the finest glassmakers in the country, and it’s been a great privilege to have him working at London Glassblowing for the past 10 years. In 2012 he won two important awards, the Jerwood Makers Open prize and Best in Show at the British Glass Biennale, so we are holding this exhibition to celebrate his amazing achievements.

Lunch today is at my new favourite restaurant, Casse-Croûte on Bermondsey Street, with my actor/writer brother George. He is looking rather dashing with flowing white locks, although he’s actually younger than I am. We have a loose arrangement to treat each other to lunch once a month and it’s my turn, since he took me to The Garrick Club a couple of weeks ago. He adores Bermondsey Street and we’ve sampled several of its gastronomic delights, notably Zucca and José Pizarro’s tapas bar, José. Today, I take the opportunity to have the lapin – Mrs L has an aversion to rabbit, even when other people at the table are eating it, so this is something to be savoured only in her absence. What an excellent dish it is; all the food is exceptional, as it has been on each of the three times I’ve been here, though I do think they could tighten up a little on their service. 

George invites me to join him on the overnight sleeper to the Edinburgh Festival to see his new son-in-law Darren, aka Beardyman, perform there. He is a UK beatboxing champion and his show consists of putting together an album, created solely with his own vocal chords and so me mystifying technology that loops it all together. No mean feat, but sadly, I have to decline – I’m too busy writing this diary!

This is Casse croute on Berm Street - Fantastic!

[peterlaytonglassblowing-blog]

I thought the best way to begin would be to post the blog I did for the FT here as it probably gives the best insight into how our lives are set up in terms of Home and London Glassblowing.

So here is Day 1:

At 76, the glass artist is beginning to think about his legacy, which he hopes will include a new Arts and Crafts hub in Southwark

My wife, Ann, and I are often woken around 7am to the shrieks and laughter of our neighbour’s children playing on their climbing frame; it’s usually quite a nice sound to wake up to, although it’s less than welcome some days. We have a cuddle and then banter about whose turn it is to go down and make the coffee. We have it in bed, or in the recent hot weather sitting on our newly acquired loungers on the bedroom balcony. I didn’t drink coffee for years, due to a homeopathic regime I was following, but it’s now become a fetish to join the throng at Monmouth Coffee in Borough Market to discuss and experiment with its wonderful, ethically sourced offerings. My latest find, however, is from somewhere new: it’s called Volcano Coffee and comes from New Zealand via my friend Hervé, whose new restaurant, Casse-Croûte on Bermondsey Street, was described by Fay Maschler as “the perfect little bistro of the sort you hope to come across in France, but nowadays never ever do”. We are spoilt for choice in Bermondsey Street; it’s a foodie’s mecca and has an amazing feel that is not unlike Elizabeth Street in Soho, New York. I feel extremely lucky that our studio and gallery is located here – it is such a change from our previous off-the-beaten-track premises in Rotherhithe; we moved here four years ago and haven’t looked back.

I am immensely proud of the gallery. I still get a kick out of arriving each morning (admittedly a little later these days) and walking towards the hot glowing furnaces in the studio beyond, to greet the guys who are already busy blowing. It’s such a captivating process, so balletic: the heat, the rhythm, watching the form grow from a gather of molten glass, taking shape and hardening as it cools. Although it’s my setup, we operate as a collective, which means that everyone has their say, can use the facility and sell their work through the gallery. The majority of sales are of my work, which essentially pays the huge (and ever-increasing) costs. As part of the deal, the team help me to make my pieces, since I am getting on a bit and it really is hot, heavy work. 

I try to use colour in glass in a painterly fashion, creating simple, sculptural and mostly non-functional pieces, a favourite of which is something we call a “stoneform”. Inspired by pebbles, these forms were originally made to lay horizontally on a surface, but in a flash of genius (or luck) I turned them on end to stand vertically. We’ve made literally hundreds of them in all sizes and in many different series, so that they have become a signature shape. They are a most enjoyable and satisfying form to make.

This morning, on my way in to the studio, I visit Kate Catleugh. Kate is an amazing and indomitable woman well into her 80s, currently recovering from spinal surgery, a heart attack and a triple bypass in quick succession. As if that weren’t enough, someone recently tried to steal her identity, setting up several false bank accounts in her name. If she hadn’t been so sharp it would have been disastrous. She is the director of the De Morgan Centre (a museum dedicated to the work of William and Evelyn De Morgan, key advocates of the Arts and Crafts movement), now in Wandsworth but likely to relocate to the Tower Bridge area, where as well as a museum there will be craft workshops in various disciplines. She and I worked together on a scheme to create an Arts and Crafts hub a number of years ago, garnering considerable support and a near-perfect building in Lambeth, but the council stalled and so we gave up and moved on. Kate is now the driving force behind the project but I still advise her from time to time, and may set up the glass studio side once everything is up and running. It is extremely exciting and the new property being considered in Southwark will be ideal. 

When people get to our age they begin to think about their legacy – what will be left for posterity. Perhaps I haven’t thought about it enough yet, but Kate certainly has, and what she plans is hugely ambitious and inspiring.

Peter Layton is one of the world’s most respected glass artists and the founder of London Glassblowing, a studio for emerging talent and a gallery showcasing glass art of the highest quality. He has written three books on contemporary glass art and is on the board of the Glass Art Society, an international organisation that promotes glass as an artistic medium. www.londonglassblowing.co.uk; @ldnglassblowing.

[peterlaytonglassblowing-blog]

The Very First Blog.

I am extremely new to blogging, I must admit, in fact the digital world is somewhat alien to me and quite mystifying. I know I shall never be a Facebooker, or a Tweeter - However I was recently asked to submit a short weeklong blog for the Financial Times and I must admit, I enjoyed the experience a lot.. For one I had to make sure I did things I perhaps would not normally get round to doing, in order to have something to write about, and then found pleasure in rewriting the experiences in a format that might interest a reader. I also enjoyed the positive feedback I received and was blown away that so many people were following it, and interested in the mundane musings of a 76 year old artist!

So I have decided to carry on.. perhaps writing up the interesting things that take place in a week, and try to keep it updated with images of the work we make, the people I meet and the places I visit.

For those that don't know who I am.. Then I can tell you my name is Peter and I am an artist working in Glass. My company London Glassblowing has been around for sometime now, coming up to 40 years, which is no mean feat.  I am lucky enough to work with some of the finest glass artists in the world, right here in our studio in London, located on Bermondsey Street.

If you are interested.. follow along and I will try to give you some good insight into the molten world that is Hot Glass Art.