Saturday 1 December 2012

NOTICE: My business will be closed from 1st December 2012 to 14th January 2013. However you may email me during that time as I will be taking order bookings for my return in January. Please always put "glass engraving" in the subject line.

Should you require simply engraved glass (or even plain glass and crystal) during this time, please order through my on line Store where approved professional sandblast engravers will complete your order for you. Click HERE to visit store.

A big Thank You again to all of my wonderful customers and I am looking forward to meeting many new customers and glass lovers next year.
Wishing you a happy and safe holiday season and all the best for 2013.
 
 
Large crystal golf trophy, winners' names added annually.
CLICK HERE to go to my main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving
 
 

Thursday 15 November 2012

Glass engraving, a busy time featuring the Queen's Diamond Jubilee church window and spiders and snakes....



 It has been a busy time here in my workshop recently. A number of large projects completed which I will tell you about next year once they have been presented. I say next year mainly because I will be closed from 30th Nov to 11th January. It is time once again to visit my precious sons and my wee grandson and some special friends in New Zealand . It has been 2 years and I miss them so much but luckily have been too busy for it to get me down.

Another piece of news is I have accepted the position of Ladies' Vice Captain of Halesworth Golf Club effective January 2012. I am very honoured to have been asked and to have such warm support from everyone. If you are a golfer and in the area you have to have a game there (and/or a delicious meal), it is a beautiful course, 18 + 9 holes. http://www.halesworthgc.co.uk/

A few months ago I was asked to quote on a panel to be installed in a church porch to commemmorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee:


This is the lozenge shape panel to be installed in All Saints Church, Ashwicken.

My techniques were sandblast and drill engrave.

Finished window, photo added much later to this blog entry


This is a special little lead crystal wine glass I engraved as a gift from me to a very special lady.

At the moment I have 4 pieces on exhibition at the Zest Comtemporary Glass Gallery in London. There is some superb art glass exhibited there, well worth a visit! (web address below)

oh...and I have always had a quivery phobia for spiders, but I had a superb hour or so with some spectacular 8 legged creatures recently, maybe felt a little braver being on the other side of my camera, but I did stroke one. What magnificent beings, really beautiful, some vibrant colours too on some of them.
Then in fact playing golf over the last few weeks at least, we have had an incredible display of whispy spiderwebs and tiny spiders (the other extreem) everywhere, as you stand there they seem to just float towards you and I recon if you stood there long enough you would be completely covered. Money spiders??? We would all be millionaires!

....One of the colourful fellas....
....and there was this cute snakey who gave me a cuddle...
....and "Bobby"....he is a cool monitor...


Please do contact me by email whilst I am away should you wish to enquire about January / February orders. I will have my laptop with me and will answer as best I can.

 If you require some glass, engraved or not, whilst I am closed, please order from my online store. It is very simple to use and payment is via a secure server. The engraving will be undertaken by trusted and very experienced glass engravers.

Otherwise have a superb holiday season and thank you for all the great support and wonderful comments on my Facebook page !

CLICK HERE to go to my main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving

http://www.zestgallery.com/exhibitions.php?showExhibition=90


Wednesday 10 October 2012

World Land Trust - Festival of Wild Life Exhibition

I am delighted to be showing my glass engraving amoungst some amazing art and photographs in the gallery of the World Land Trust recently. It is a lovely space in Halesworth and well worth a visit .

Easy parking and at the moment the first hour of parking is free in the main car park!!

A week on Saturday (20th October) I will be demonstrating my drill engraving on crystal during the latest exhibition which is showing various arts and crafts celebrating wildlife and sustainability, this also coinsides with the Halesworth Arts Festival. My demonstration of glass engraving will be between 10am  and 4pm.

See you there !!!

CLICK HERE to go to my main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving

World Land Trust WEBSITE

 




 

Wednesday 3 October 2012

A busy 'ol autumn in Lesley's world of glass engraving

 
 
This is what I spend many many hours doing and I don't often mention it!! Vector drawings for sandblasting. Corel Draw X6 (64bit) and my Wacom Intuos 4. I had photographed my clients tiny signet ring with the crest seal, then flipped it (as it was mirror image) and after artwork was complete, flipped it back and engraved it underneath a paperweight.
 
I mentioned in a previous post that I was engraving a self portrait
The styalised image of my face was stage sandblasted into the back.
The hand engraving of the oak details are back and front
 
"Lesley Pyke - Self Portrait.  Deep in thought - The Autumn Years." I am surrounded by the strength of oak which is largely my partner, Brian.
My two precious sons, Shane and Gavin, forever in my mind and represented by the two acorns. The crystal is Dartington, I carved it from a large vase.
 
My little Georgian Garden (above) is presently for sale on eBay. It is a special little piece.
 
Remember this photo.....an old, heavy crystal bowl, unknown origin, badly scratched and looking so sad, now has a new lease of life...a whole new image, a brand new story! "On The Edge"
 
 
 
The Cambridge Glass Fair was held a couple of weeks ago and I have to say was not as successful as usual for me, the numbers were down in general, largely due to the very threatening weather reports (we only had drizzle!!) and of course the new venue, Linton Village College. This venue was superb, once you got the hang of it, I think we were spread out into 6 different areas, with some long passages inbetween, so visitors got a little confused. I need to make some changes to my stand to show up a little more next time as I was probably the furthest point from the single entrance. We all had a big learning curve with this new venue and I am sure it will be more successful next time. Hats off to Paul and Christina for a massive job well done under such difficult circumstances (with Chilford Hall having burnt down not long before).
Pictured above is my stand.

I zoomed around with my camera to catch some setting up activity and to see where everyone was. I loved the airiness and lightness of the rooms.


 A wonderful mixture of old and contemporary glass and crystal throughout the fair.

Above are the lovely Georgian reproduction works of Georgian Glassmakers. (who made my "Georgian Garden" presently on eBay and also "Georgian Dragon" (presently on the Guild of Glass Engravers exhibition)



Two famous brothers in the glass world, Vic and Ian Bamforth, Wonderful, talented glassmakers!

Always a privilege to be amoungst so many lovers of glass, wish I had more time to devote to creating more art glass for this event.
 
 
 
 
Lastly....I am presently working on a set of 3 perfume bottles for a client with little ladybirds doing their thing...and a very high profile presentation due for the end of the year in South America and on the cards is a new and very exciting collaboration with 2 American artists for a fabulous and amazing commission....watch this space...
 
CLICK HERE to go to my main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving
 

Friday 21 September 2012

Another piece completed, a beautiful heavy little Norsk crystal bowl. Mushrooms....might re-name...jury is still out on that. 
See it as Cambridge Glass fair on Sunday 23 Sept 2012!!

 
...amendment...named "Funky Fungi" 22.09.12
 
Go to the main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving click here: www.glassengraving.biz

Thursday 20 September 2012

Quick update....new pieces....
Hand blown wine glass with rounded funnel bowl and multiple spiral opaque twist stem. Mid to third quarter of the 18th century in style, modern reproduction Georgian, by Georgian Glassmakers. "Georgian Garden" featuring wild flowers and a busy bee. Image is 3 views of a single glass. See this first at Cambridge Glass fair on Sunday.

Still on the bench....lovely Norsk crystal bowl, hand engraved mushrooms...work in progress. See it on Sunday also at Cambridge Glass fair.

 

Monday 17 September 2012

Cambridge Glass Fair

 
This coming Sunday 23rd September - Cambridge Glass Fair, (NOTE the new venue) Linton Village College, Cambridge Road, Linton CB21 4JB. The fair is open from 10.30am until 4.00pm.

I will be on stand C16 (in the library).

Above are 3 of the pieces I will have on my display (and for sale) which will be alongside several others, including my African Elephant vase if it does not sell between now and the weekend, it is presently in the Wold Land Trust Gallery, Halesworth.

http://www.cambridgeglassfair.com/exhibitors/pyke.htm
I am looking forward to seeing all the familiar (I nearly said "old"....!!) faces and  many new ones.
SEE YOU THERE!!!
Back to the main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving: www.glassengraving.biz

Saturday 15 September 2012

Exhibition reminder

 
"Georgian Dragon"
Lead crystal hand blown authentic reproduction Georgian style glass, circa 1710, large balluster. Drill engraved. Signed by the blower and myself.
This piece is presently on exhibition and for sale at The Guild of Glass Engravers National Exhibition 2012 Mon. 13 August - Sun. 7 October at The Red House Glass Cone, Stourbridge. UK.
 
Lead crystal cullet, hand engraved and sandblasted. Measuring 10 x 9 x 8cm. It will be available at “The Store” Dial Glass Works Exhibition, Stewkins, Stourbridge. 24th August to 24th September.

Telephone 01384 393398 Fax 01384 376638 or by Post

 Plowden and Thompson
A Division of ET Enterprises Ltd
Dial Glasswork
Stewkins
Stourbridge
West Midlands DY8 4YN
 

Back to the main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving: www.glassengraving.biz


Friday 14 September 2012

Glass engraving...music, memorials, self portraits, etc

Years ago I engraved a piece of band music for this client and once again I was asked to engrave yet another march, this piece of music was a little longer, it was pushing the boundaries of size and detail but it worked fine thank goodness. There is a dedication on the base.

Another large Rock Tablet commission and this time for a memorial of a memorial! The image of the actual memorial is on the bottom and the lettering on the 3 small blocks is just representative lines but the overall story is clear.

Cambridge Glass Fair is 2 weeks away and the creative juices are flowing. (see end of page for link) Several partially engraved pieces are standing in my display cabinet at this stage. I always like to get going on something new before I forget what it was....:-).....and then complete them all as time goes on. This piece is an interesting shaped piece of lead crystal and I am engraving a self portrait...just because it is something that artists seem to do at some stage. This one is myself in deep thought. If only you could see the full extent of my thoughts, but you may be able to get a hint from my simplified facial expression. The embellishments are of oak, representing strength. We all need to be strong from time to time.

...and below is another piece in progress....a fabulous old crystal bowl, VERY thick and heavy with amazing colour and refractions that are hard to explain. I bought it at a local antiques fair, scratched in a number of places and looking sad, most scratches now gone and a whole new life is emerging from it, I think I prefer livening up sad old glass to working on new glass.
However I say that but I have just ordered 4 brand new 11" lead crystal spun discswith a splash of red colour for a private commission. I will let you know all about it after the presentation in South America...so that'll be in January then :-)
 
I also recently engraved a very large bespoke made Rock Tablet for a client for a presentation to African Royalty, I have not got permission to publish so I will only show a picture of the early preparation. It was about 36 x 36cm.
 
 
 
Over the years I have had to engrave several piece of glass for subjects to do with death, this one is for a lady's cat who only died the other week, just a simple little sandblasted plaque but very significant. It now sits on his grave. I have engraved memorials for cats and dogs and other animals but believe it or not, for several humans including glass containers for ashes, a pottery urn too (I still use a coffee cup with the text underneath which I used to test the technique) and a thick glass panel for a grave head stone.
Below is a memorial for a cat called Stig which I engraved years ago.
 
Back to the main website Lesley Pyke Limited - Glass Engraving: www.glassengraving.biz
Website for the Cambridge Glass Fair...SEE YOU THERE!!! http://www.cambridgeglassfair.com/