Ruth Dresman

Ruth makes vessels in coloured glass, with sandblasted design which emphasise the colour transparency and translucency of the material. She has evolved a distinctive technique which is exclusive to her studio, based on the controlled removal of layers of coloured glass to describe her designs. After studying 3D Design: Glass at West Surrey College of Art & Design, Ruth worked as a studio assistant at The Glasshouse, London and then became craftsperson-in-residence at a gallery in Salisbury. She then spent a year travelling to the USA, Mexico, Indonesia and India before returning to her native Wiltshire to set up her independent glass studio in 1986.

Fish, octopus, seaweed and shells are represented in Ruth's work. They suit the transparency of glass and the glimpses it affords of designs made on opposite surfaces of the vessels. She also enjoys observing animals, birds, flowers, leaves and seeds, and translating their forms and their textures into her works. Ruth's medium is not only glass, but light: she designs the way light travels through her pieces, achieving great depth of colour and piercing highlights of pure transparency. Commissions include gifts for the Sultan of Brunei and his family during their Royal Visit in 1998, by Buckingham Palace on behalf of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.