Perthshire glassblower to feature in exhibition after chance meeting with artist

A Perthshire glass cutter’s work is to be featured in an exhibition after a chance meeting with a top artist.

Glenfarg glass cutter Gordon Taylor answered an online appeal from glass blower and acclaimed artist Jo Kenny to form a collaboration – with their unique pieces to be shown in Crieff at Strathearn Gallery.

Gordon has spent many years perfecting his skills after he left school in 1978 for an apprenticeship at Perthshire Paperweights.

He explained how long it took him to grasp the trade and the intricacy that is involved: “Crystal cutters will work on top of the wheel and they can see what they’re doing.

“When I am working the wheel is spinning so when I’m cutting I can’t see what I’m doing.

“I have to go with the feel of the wheel.

“When I was learning I was told to ‘listen to the wheel sing’ and it’s true because if you’re doing it right it’ll make a clean sound.

“It’s all done by just touch and it takes a long time to learn that.”

While honing his skills Gordon would only take 10 minutes for his lunch break, using the rest of the time to practice.

He explained that his concentration to do such tasks stems from his dyslexia which was only diagnosed in his 50s.

Once Perthshire Paperweights closed, Gordon started working with Richmond Fellowship, a mental health charity, and said he realised that while he thinks differently to other people he has found more common ground with people in the art world.

He said: “I’ve been speaking to a lot of other artists in different fields.

“A lot of them are the same, they are dyslexic. We figure out things differently and I now know I think about things differently to someone else.”

Gordon and Jo came into contact after he responded to her Facebook post asking if anybody knew a cold [glass technique] worker.

He explained: “She said ‘I’m down in Whitby, it’s a bit far I’ll get back to you’.

“She asked to meet me so she came up here and we had a discussion, she saw my stuff and she was quite happy and we hit it off.

“We think the same artistically and I cut the first load of stuff and she was totally happy.”

Gordon’s artistic style is very orderly and regimental, however, choosing to collaborate with Jo meant he had to adapt his style and learn new techniques.

Jo’s work is very much inspired by the beach, meaning the cuts Gordon had to make needed to be natural looking.

He said: “She’ll give me an idea – like there was one cut where she said ‘I want it to look like when the sea goes out and you’ve got the ripples on the beach in the sand’.

“So I did that but it was really hard for me because I had to make it uneven and in my head I’m thinking it’s got to be straight.

“So yeah, it’s a different way of thinking and I’m enjoying that because it’s a bit of freedom and you’re learning new techniques.

“Once you’ve learned the trade and you’ve practised then you can adapt if somebody wants something.”

Gordon and Jo’s art work is to be displayed for all art connoisseurs in the Strathearn Gallery in Crieff later this year on a date still to be revealled.

He said he finds it “weird” and “scary” to exhibit his own work in the very place his career started.

“I find it hard when the public go in because your scared someone’s going to come in and go ‘that’s rubbish’.

“But the people that are interested appreciate what you’re doing.”