Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2007/January 2008 | Page 94

life

FOOD & DRINK

Local awards
shone through

PHOTO ABOVE: Paul Critchley with assistant heating the glass used for the Island Life Food & Drink Awards

T

he dancing figures in some
of Paul Critchley’s more
exuberant glass creations are
almost a tribute to his own energy and
enthusiasm. Figures emerge from a
huge tidal wave; a wind-racked tree
is, from another angle, constructed of
fluid, united people. Paul is energised
by the medium he works with and by
the boundless possibilities of his craft.
Paul is one of the craftsmen at
Arreton Barns, where amid the
confusion of coach parties and tourists,
he produces pieces of beauty.
His most recent commission has been
the trophies for the Island Life food and
drink awards: simple irregular icebergs
in clear glass, engraved and unfussy.
He has also produced the trophies
for the Green Island awards – made,
appropriately, from recycled green glass;

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the Healthy Eating awards – small bowls
embraced by four figures; and the Isle
of Wight Diversity Awards, consisting
of four figures dancing in a circle.
“I design the award in conjunction
with the client, making it appropriate to
the event it’s celebrating,” says Paul.
He also takes a lot of commissions
from individuals for special occasions.
Gorgeous family groups made from
sparkling clear glass are engraved on the
underside with the names of all those
the piece represents. “I don’t charge any
extra for that. I like the idea that the piece
reinforces a family’s history. And I like
work which gives out a positive message.
Family groups, celebratory pieces, they
speak about the good things in life.”
The cute robins and penguins which
sell from a fiver to visitors who come
and watch him at work somehow add to

the surprise of the diversity of his work.
“I could make small pieces all day long,
but I get bored really quickly,” he says.
“I like to move the goal posts all the
time and keep the work challenging”
If you can have a holistic approach
to glass making, Paul has it. He
always thinks about the environmental
implications of what he was doing.
“I put a heat exchanger on my
furnace’s flue, so the waste heat
powers the galleries radiator.”
With his sandblaster he does all his
own engraving, enabling logos and
text to be on the surface of the glass.
Paul’s assistants also make pieces and
help to finish and polish the glass.
He recycles all his glass: nothing is
wasted. “Glass is a special material, I
respect its beauty, so I can’t throw it
away.” When he’s got enough waste glass

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