Mike Hislop is a fused glass artist, with a studio workshop at Port Bannatyne on the beautiful Isle of Bute. "All my glass creations are unique pieces of art – lovingly designed, created and crafted.
Mike Hislop is a fused glass artist, with a studio workshop at Port Bannatyne on the beautiful Isle of Bute. "All my glass creations are unique pieces of art – lovingly designed, created and crafted. Whether it be a glass pendant, a framed original, a dish and coasters, or a plinth mounted glass – all my glass uses re-purposed or up-cycled COE90 glass." My skills come from a typographical background, and owning a graphic design company in Edinburgh. When looking towards retirement I was keen to pursue something challenging, different, but still creative. I discovered fused glass art - bought myself a large kiln, converted an outhouse on Bute into my studio workshop, and as they say 'the rest is history!' The skills of glass fusing are not only in the designs, but also in the characteristics of glass, how it responds to heat, and most importantly developing kiln programmes that suit my type of work, and minimise the 'disasters'!! Virtually all the glass that I buy is COE90. This means that all the glass I use is compatible with each other, has the same melting point and the same cooling characteristics. I buy offcuts, scraps and strips from large fused glass companies - this has two key strengths for me. It keeps the very high cost of coloured glass down to an affordable level, and also allows me to up-cycle and repurpose into beautiful designs. I hope you enjoy looking at my work.
