Northern Echo

What a dish

An artist with a heart of glass is creating unique centrepieces for the home. Rachel meek reports.

Janet Rogers with one of the extreme glass platters

SOME artists will go to extreme lengths to sate their creative appetite: Janet Rogers is serving up her latest offering on a platter – 3ft long and made of sparkling glass.

Janet, who runs the Crushed Chilli gallery in South Street, Durham, has recognised that more people entertain at home nowadays and wanted to create a talking point. And when they are not impressing friends and neighbours, the platters can be wall-mounted as an artistic installation.

“I like big and chunky, I like art to have a presence,” says Janet. “The platters are the biggest things I have ever created for the home and as far as I know, I am the first to do this.”

Extreme platters can be made in any colour and any size to match interior decor. They are constructed using fibreboard which is cut into various shapes and sizes to create moulds for the glass.

One of Janet Rogers glass designs

Glass is placed on top of the fibreboard where it takes the form of the mould when heated. Each platter takes half a day for Janet to design and form before it is fired in the kiln for 24 hours.

“It is very rewarding when it comes out because it is such a big piece of glass. There’s also a sense of relief as you are never quite sure how it is going to turn out,” says Janet. “Once it is cleaned up and starts to shine and sparkle all the work seems worthwhile.”

Janet’s love of glass runs deep and continues a family tradition – her great grandmother worked for years at the Gateshead glass works, which were famous for producing cloud, pearline, and pressed glass.

“I have always loved glass and have grown up with it,” she recalls.

“But the real interest started when I needed a new stained glass panel for the front door. I decided to make it myself and have never looked back since.”

Some stunning glass panelling in Janet's gallery

Janet bought her first kiln in 2004 and started producing stunning creations which soon became noticed by glass lovers around the country.

“I couldn’t believe it when I received a phone call to ask if I could design a piece of glass for a Grand Designs house. I was over the moon,” she says.

The house, featured in the popular television series, was in Derbyshire and belonged to the artist Paul Fryers, who has worked with Damien Hurst and has an interest in electricity pylons, which he wanted featuring in the design. The glass creation was six feet long, featured vibrant colours and took a prominent position in the hallway.

“As an artist, Paul was very specific about what he wanted,” she says.

“When he said he loved it, I was delighted.”

Another unexpected call Janet received was from broadcaster and former politician Michael Portillo, who commissioned a damaskstyle piece of glass for one of the windows in his home. His London house was previously occupied by wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.

“It is incredible to think that my work is hanging in such a historic home,” she says. “I was honoured to do that work. I actually installed it myself, which made it even more special.”

Specialising in abstract, contemporary stained and fused glass and the exquisite Pate de Verre, Janet has now completed many individually commissioned pieces. Her work is also in demand overseas and she is currently working on a project that will be shipped to the US.

Janet has also just completed her biggest challenge to date in replacing the glass dome in the council chambers atSpennymoor Town Hall. “As a local artist, I was delighted they asked me to do the work,”

she says. “It is a wonderful feeling knowing that my work is now part of the town hall and that it will be there for the next 100 years.”

The dome took four weeks to complete, with Janet replacing 16 stained glass windows. “I was also asked to replace the town hall clock face which was quite a challenge because it meant climbing up scaffolding to do the work.”

Janet is currently sharing her love of glass with the community, working with students in local schools, offering an insight into her art.

“I am going to be showing GCSE students at Durham School how to make a stained glass panel which they will submit as part of their exams,” she says.

She also stages master classes in her gallery covering the intricacies of stained and fused glass manufacturing.

As the commissions continue to flow, it is hard to predict what Janet’s next big project might be – but the one thing that is crystal clear is that it will definitely involve some form of glass.