Art of glass
From a compact terrace in a quiet cul-de-sac, Nina Stevenson is fashioning molten glass into sparkling display dishes, elegant bowls, multi-purpose smaller pieces and, more recently, sculptures.
Both useful and collectible, the handmade kiln-formed works have occasionally been available at markets, or sourced privately. Now they can be purchased online.
So, how did a renowned entertainment lawyer switch from high corporate pressure to the high temperatures of glass making?
"I’ve always loved glass," Stevenson says. "Even as a teenager I would look in op-shops for green 1930s glassware, which I thought was beautiful."
Fast forward to the 1990s when Stevenson wanted to have some lead-light windows made. The cost was prohibitive so she took evening classes to learn how to make them herself.
"I had a day job, so it took two years to make four windows. Then work and life took over, but I eventually enrolled in another course where I discovered the endless possibilities of working in a kiln with glass," she says.
For the bowls, a glass tile is cut to shape, decorated and textures may be added. In the case of her Starburst bowls, up to 1000 thin pulled-glass canes are carefully laid to create the pattern.
"The first firing is known as fusing the glass. Once the glass is fused you lay the flat fused tile on a mould and return it to the kiln. Then [a much higher] kiln heat and gravity does the rest," Stevenson says. "There is always some experimentation and I love that there is an element of serendipity in working with glass."
For its reliability, the art glass Stevenson uses is mostly imported from the US: "I am yet to try working with recycled glass, but hope to soon experiment with glass bottles.”
Her latest challenge is a sculpture project that focuses on the judicial system. It features objects such as a barrister's wig and a gavel cast in glass.
"I feel that the rule of law is increasingly under attack, so I’m trying to say something about justice and the legal system by using these perhaps outdated icons of solemnity," she says.
Four years ago, Stevenson sold her apartment in Rushcutters Bay and moved up the hill to Paddington to gain the space she needed for her glass work.
"It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made," she says. "Despite the ever increasing size of Sydney, Paddington retains its historical charm and still has a wonderful village feel. I never feel lonely here."