al artists
peter layton united kingdom
While Peter now operates from a cavernous studio in Bermondsey Street where visitors are invited to watch the glassmakers in action , his beginnings were far more humble .
The story begins in West Yorkshire , where his grandfather Victor Hecht , a Pathologist , took him to concerts and exhibitions and nurtured his interest in the Arts . At school in Bradford , his talents were first recognised and encouraged , and a spell of National Service was enough to stiffen his resolve to hurl himself into his love of art as soon as he returned . He first studied at Bradford Art College and then London ’ s Central School of Art and Design , specialising in ceramics .
Upon graduation in 1966 , Peter was offered a job in the Ceramics Department at the University of Iowa . By chance , Harvey Littleton and a number of other potters were pioneering revolutionary new hot glass techniques at that time . Peter attended one of their early experimental workshops and was bewitched by the spontaneity of the process , the material ’ s medium ’ s immediacy and its vast potential as a contemporary art medium .
The spell has never been broken .
“ Glass is magical and extraordinarily seductive ,” explains Peter . “ Every piece is a challenge and an adventure and you never know exactly what you have created until you open the annealing kiln and see how a piece has turned out . I love that moment of surprise .”
49