 We
have a wide range of pieces by Thomas Petit, if you are interested in
viewing specific pieces please either call into the gallery of call us
to discuss what we have in stock at a given point in time.
Like many Glass Artists I started my craft experience in the
world of Pottery at school & despite my determination to be the next
Bernard Leach, I was encouraged to try other artistic mediums to broaden my
mind & experience. Having seen Glassblowing as a ten year old at Dartington
Crystal, I decided that that would be interesting to try & went on a brief
course with Norman Stuart-Clarke, who lived in Cornwall at the time. Pottery
was forgotten as I was mesmerised by this new exciting material.
Although,
a three year Apprenticeship was offered, it was not going to be financially
viable, so, it didn’t come into fruition. I was determined to be a Glassmaker,
so took up a voluntary position, at The Glasshouse, in Covent Garden & a
paid three month stint at Isle of Wight Glass.
Higher
Education at Sunderland Uni & Brierley Hill followed, before my first real
job at London Glassblowing Workshop in Rotherhithe, East London & later at The
Leather Market. It was here working with such a diverse group of Artist’s that
I learnt the majority of my techniques.
After London I worked for three years in a small studio in
Whangarei in New Zealand & got to exhibit all over New Zealand & in
Sydney Australia.
I returned to the
UK working at Hothouse in Derbyshire & The Glass Studio @ Denby Pottery,
before taking a break from full time glassmaking in 2008.
In 2015 I decided
it was too much of a struggle to have a full-time job & do my glassmaking
& shows in my spare time & holidays & decided to get back to being
a full-time Glass Artist in 2016. I will now be able to do more shows &
exhibitions without limitations.
Inspirations: I draw upon many
influences, in the creation of my glassware, from the broad spectrum of the
Arts, my own photography, to everyday objects & experiences.
When I set
out to design a new range, I usually have a set of colour combinations in mind.
& often try to visualise what they will look like in my head, and jot down
notes, about possible colours & techniques. Unfortunately, ideas that
worked in your brain, or on paper, often look considerably different in the
glass medium; So, I will try some of these ideas out, and keep altering it, until,
I get the desired effect; Sometimes, it is the happy accidents that spark off
the best ideas. My latest works from the Seashore ranges were influenced by my
childhood home of East Sussex & the many walks across the South Downs &
coastal valleys to the sea, like Cuckmere.
All pieces
are made & finished solely by me. Each stoppered bottle has an individually
made stopper, which is ground by hand to fit that bottle alone.
In some
cases, pieces are sandblasted, as with “Silk Float”, “Ribb” & “Sea Shore”
If the sandblasted pieces should lose their sheen, I suggest buffing them with
a cotton cloth (not a duster) and a very little baby oil (use sparingly).
I hope my
Glassware brings you many years of enjoyment.
Thank you for supporting British
Crafts People
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