Sue Corfield

Glass-artist, Sue Corfield, creates wearable glass for ladies who want jewellery that is unique to the wearer: no two are ever identical! Sue Corfield, a British national, has always had a passion for speed, "I love driving nice, fast cars". She grew up with classic cars - post-vintage Thoroughbreds as they are known - and she's owned and driven many from Rolls Royce to Alvis and E-Type Jaguar. Her husband used to race at Silverstone with Alvis and E-Types, while Sue did speed trials with Alvis. Her participation in rallies led to her second passion, criss-crossing France with her 1934 Riley Lynx. An absolute highlight was being a passenger in a Metallurgique (with a 21 litre aeroplane engine) from the UK to Avignon. "As it only did 9 to 12 miles per gallon, our frequent stops for fuel turned quite a few heads, including the Gendarmes", she remembers. In the 1990s, she and her husband couldn't resist the pull of France, and they settled in rural Haute Marne. Unfortunately a severe stroke meant her husband could no longer drive, but the car-obsessed duo were soon back on the road, only this time the rallies were in a 2CV with his wheelchair strapped in the boot! As an avid follower of motor sport, this intrepid lady soon brought her passion for the technical precision and the style of racing cars into her artist's studio where she practices lampworking. Lampworking differs from traditional glass-blowing in that the tools are small and delicate, and refined, detailed works of art are the result. Sue admits lampworking doesn't carry the same thrill as car racing, nonetheless it demands high levels of technological rigor and dedication to perfection. Even though glass beads were highly sought-after in 1500 BC Egypt, through to the hey-day of Venetian Murano glasswork, nowadays the myriad of colours and techniques is unparalleled. "Each bead is so individual", Sue explains, "each one is unique. Making glass beads is challenging because so many variables affect the final outcome. When I heat the glass, the colours react to the heat of the torch: the mix of propane to oxygen must be just right. Then there's the annealing process in the kiln, the glass continues to react to heating and to the very gradual cooling. Producing a series of beads that are uniform in colour is very challenging".