Dreya Glass

Dreya’s journey with glass started by chance; an introduction by her landlady whilst studying a foundation degree in Art and Design. Captivated by its luminosity, broad spectrum of colours, translucency, reflective and textural qualities, she pursued the study of Architectural Stained Glass at Swansea University.

Dreya was born in Lagos, Nigeria and grew up playing in the swimming pools and the ocean in Africa. At 9 years old, she and her family moved to Cornwall, where the beach and sea became her playground of choice and her love and interaction with the water intensified in the crashing Atlantic surf of the Cornish coast. In her teens, Dreya became a keen surfer and eventually discovered the thrill of kite surfing. She set up one of the first kite schools in the UK, at Watergate Bay. Her adventure in kite surfing took her competing on the world circuit, and in 2005, she set a world record by kite surfing from Cornwall to Ireland (under her maiden name Wharry).

The lure of the ocean, beauty of the sea and the form of waves became all encompassing and after retiring from competitive sport, Dreya returned to glass to capture her experience and relationship with the sea, “To me glass has a similar quality to water, it is enigmatic, you can look ‘right through it’ or ‘at it’”.

In Dreya’s glass work, no two pieces are the same. Dreya’s glass cutting tools are used as an artist uses their pencil, to record observations and experiences. Her cuts and layering of glass have variety and her use of coloured frits , enamels and texture are always different in each piece. The glass then goes on its own unique journey in the kiln, from solid it becomes liquid; hot, melting, slipping, and fusing to cooling and becoming solid once more.

dreyaglass@icloud.com
Instagram: @dreya_glass
www.dreya.co.uk