Joanne Ballard

My current body of work takes its inspiration from the amazingly diverse and abundant life found in and around the sea. As I grew up near the coast in Devon I have had a life long fascination with the sea, shoreline and rock-pool life. The many wonderful shapes and patterns that present themselves in nature are a joy to interpret into my pieces.

I find a glass to be truly magical material to work with: it seems to possess the most amazing chameleon-like qualities, and exploring these seemingly endless possibilities is a constant source of delight and wonderment to me.

Each piece of my work is unique, as every mould can be used only once and is individually carved by hand, in a way that allows me to accentuate the glass’s ability to form natural lenses that trap and project the light. The resultant forms sing when any light falls upon them.

Born 1965 Plymouth, Devon

Education
June 2002 Graduated from the University of Wolverhampton, BA(Hons) Three Dimensional Design (Glass)
May 1999 Shrewsbury College of Art and Technology, BTEC
Diploma in Art and Design Foundation Studies

Selected Exhibitions
2006 International Exhibition, Shenzhen, China
2005 Contemporary Glass Society, International Festival of Glass Exhibition, West Midlands, UK
2004 One Woman Exhibition at Alexia Goethe Fine Art, London, UK
2003 Feature in Glass USA Magazine Feature in Ceramic et du Verre Magazine, Europe
One Woman Exhibition, Lunniverre
Contemporary Glass Gallery, Paris, France
2002 New Member Focus Exhibition at CAA Gallery, London, UK
Winter Collection Exhibition, Cowdy Gallery, Gloucestershire, UK
Accepted as a member of the Contemporary Applied Arts Association, London, UK
Features in Blueprint and IDFX Magazines Piece touring in Bombay Sapphire “Blue Room” Exhibition
Piece bought by Dan Klien for the British Contemporary Glass Collection
Awarded the New Designers, Bombay Sapphire
Future of Design Award for Contemporary Glass
Awarded 1st Prize at the Glass Art Society
International Student Exhibition, Amsterdam, Holland
Piece bought for the Broadfield House Glass Museum Collection
2001 “Perfect 10” Exhibition, The Lighthouse, Wolverhampton, UK