Ray Skene                                                 

Inspiration

Born in Cardiff, South Wales, Ray Skene has worked in a variety of jobs, including Aircraft engineer and insurance salesman.

He still lives in South Wales, though now Pontypridd and works as a lighting engineer by day and has done for 25 years.

It was when his daughter, Ceri, graduated in Ceramics in 1998 and Ray helped with her first major craft exhibition that she became his inspiration. “Seeing how the public warmed to her fabulous work, sculptured works of real life models and animals. He knew then that his daughter was the inspiration to learn a kindred craft. Ceri encourage Ray to try working with ceramic clay, but didn’t get on too well with what he felt was a messy modelling material.”

Still interested in finding what was right for him, Ray took what are known as hot glass weekend classes at Stourbridge Glass Quarter and at the ICG – International College of Glass. “He thoroughly enjoyed working at the furnace making large glass paperweights and hollow ware. However, it soon became obvious that the practicalities of having a furnace full of molten glass in your house was not an option.” Fortunately one of the teachers at the glass college had the foresight to show Ray the lamp-work room. There was no-one working there and seemed to be one of the less favoured skills to learn, but that didn’t put Ray off. “To me it seemed the obvious quick fix to get cold glass melted very quickly and formed into what ever I desired. Well so I thought, as that’s where the really hard work started. Learning all the skills required to control glass when it becomes toffee like and even as runny as water when over heated, would take months and even years to embrace hundreds of techniques and tricks required to make a satisfactory art form. “

exploration in glass heaven

Finding a lamp-work teacher was difficult in the beginning, but now Ray feels there’s much more opportunity with teachers around the country and some of those teaching at well known glass suppliers. Ray himself played with glass for two years before finding Diana East near Leicester. He soon realized that formal tuition exposed many weaknesses and revealed dozens of design techniques he’d never even considered. “Techniques that unearth your own creativity in a montage of swirling colour and shapes that finds you rushing home to experiment in your own art glass studio.

If I lived to be 200, I’d not learn

all the derivations of colour shape and

techniques that await our curious

artistic minds

Amazed that any one would wish to learn from him. The initial lessons given were very basic, some  6years ago he considered himself a novice. He taught only one on one or two at most, the teaching process and glass requires close observation and a careful overview of the students needs. “ Ray estimates that he has taught over 300 students now and is always eager to emphasise the importance of safety and safe working practices. “The creation of simple glass beads is not that hard, given some basic tuition". Tuition that should always commence with safety training. Glass rods are now readily available in any colour to make glass beads and or small sculptures, also lamp-working torches and equipment. Teaching and sharing art glass is for him like giving a gift in return for the immense fun he's had using this fantastic medium we call glass.