OUR STORY

Glassy Galah art is created by Sarah Smith. Sarah’s design studio is in her home in Etwall, Derbyshire.

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Sarah trained as a textile artist and worked in the 1980 and 90s as a children’s knitwear designer supplying Marks & Spencers, Adams and Mothercare (to name a few).  In the late 90s and early 2000s she lived in Sydney Australia where the inspirations for some of her designs originated – along with the idea for the business name (the galah is a pink and grey parrot that is common in Australia).

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On her return to the UK, Sarah worked as a primary school teacher for over 15 years, where she inspired children to explore their artistic talents. In the summer of 2021 she changed direction to focus on her passion for creativity. A few glass fusing classes later, she was hooked. Sarah’s new creative adventure has only just begun, she loves experimenting with the colours and textures of glass and exploring new techniques. She draws on her extensive world travels, love of nature and colour for her inspiration.

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Sarah’s work makes extensive use of the glass fusing process where designed pieces are placed in a glass kiln for up to 24 hours to form. The kiln heats the glass up to close to 800 oC, with careful control required of the rate of heating and subsequent cooling. The precise schedule for heating and cooling is dependent upon the effect that Sarah is attempting to achieve – be it a full fuse, a tack or contour fuse or a slump or drape effect.

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We hope you enjoy the results of Sarah’s work. If you do, please follow her on Instagram @Glassy.galah to see where her journey takes her, or contact her via e-mail on glassy.galah@gmail.com.