Profile

Cressa McLaren is a glass artist. After studying Architectural Glasswork at the City of Glasgow College and having her second child, she set up Cressa’s GlassWorks in 2006. Cressa was recently based in Kirkcudbright for 10 years but has now relocated  to the Briggait WASP studios in Glasgow, where she produces a range of distinctive contemporary designs including, tableware,lighting and a collection of work ‘Glass Meadow’ as well as one-off commission pieces. Cressa’s work is inspired by a deep love for flowers ,colour and contrast. A childhood in rural Southern Ireland,London India and times spent in her grandmother’s garden have given her a lifelong passion for colour and flowers in their many forms. Fresh, vibrant and colourful, her pieces draw on this love of botanical forms, and also give a playful interpretation of the stylised retro designs of the 1950s.
Working mainly with kiln-formed bullseye, opaque and transparent glass, she uses the techniques of fusing, slumping, draping and sandblasting the glass to create the bold outlines and contrasting colours that define her style.
Cressa uses a combination of strong colour and fine detail to create functional yet strikingly beautiful pieces. It is important to her that her work imparts the sense of playfulness and joy with which it is made.