About

Philip’s exposure to glass began in the mid 80’s, when he undertook a project in copper foil as part of his matriculation art project. In 1997, he enrolled at Monash University’s undergraduate degree, majoring in hot glass. Graduating with honors in 2001. He established the first privately owned access facility in Melbourne for hot glass and cold work in 2002 & developed his own art practice simultaneously. The studio was situated in three different locations in inner city Melbourne for over 13 years. Him and his husband moved across the ditch in 2016. He now works from New Zealand Glassworks in Whanganui, where he continues to make his own work, mentor students & Gaffer for various artists and designers.

Murray is a life long supporter of NZ glass.

Emma has been working in glass in NZ since 1991. She is the co-owner of Melt45, who are the distributors of Gaffer Glass to Australasia. She is a Full-time glass caster, who lives in Whanganui (the glass city of NZ). Where her and her partner David Murray run their practice from the old masonic. Emma’s work is included in the collections of Te Papa & the Auckland Museum, as well and many others around the world. We are very excited to have Emma leading the team!

Lisa’s making practice focuses on kiln cast glass and mixed media, working from her home studio on the North Shore, Auckland. Originally from the UK, where she graduated with honours from BA Contemporary Crafts at Falmouth University in 2010. She later went on to hold position as Senior Technician, completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Higher Education in 2014. Lisa has resided in New Zealand for 7 years now and is delighted to be welcomed as part of the NZSAG committee, to provide support for the glass community members and pursue new directions for NZ glass.

Vicki Fanning is a ceramist and glass artist from Matakana. She has been working with Glass since 2001 where she studied at Whanganui Ucol. She is known for her flameworking sculptures based on various inherit qualities of glass. But is now focusing on lead lighting, and the ability glass has to carry a message to the masses.
Although she has been remotely involved in NZSAG in the past, she is now delighted to be involved with the current committee.

@frolicceramics @vickifanningglassnz

Thomas Barter graduated with a BFA from CSU Humboldt in 1988. He had been working since then as a professional artist specializing in hand made ceramic murals and ceramic sculpture. Upon graduation he spent 6 months at the Moravian pottery and tile works as an artist in residence. Here he learned the art of handmaking tiles. With an interest in installations and site-specific artwork he started to combine tile making into larger site specific works.

Over the last twenty years Thomas has completed dozens of public commissions as well as many private works. He has also been active in teaching and currently is the Visual Arts Teacher at Saint Kentigern Boys’ school.

Thomas started his career in Sacramento California and made several pieces for the city of Sacramento. He then moved to southern California. His works in the Los Angeles area include two tile fountains for the Municipal Water District of Southern California at Union Station in LA, as well as murals, facades, and sculptures for the city of Long Beach.

Thomas moved to New Zealand with his family in 2003 where he still resides. He has made and installed several artworks around Auckland City. And continues to make and install new works regularly. In 2010 Thomas took a class in glass casting. This changed the direction of his practice to away from Ceramics to glass

Thomas’s first works in glass were mostly flat back castings that were like his tile work at the time. He, however, was also interested in how to make some simple 3D forms. Part of his ceramic expertise is mold making so the transition into lost wax casting happened quickly. Thomas now almost exclusively uses cast glass as his medium of choice. 

Further to the development of origami objects he is working on a new direction involving the use of a repeated cast glass art deco element that are built into larger glass objects. His studio is in Auckland New Zealand and is happy to have visitors and give tours of his premises.