Rebecca Heap
“I am the happiest when I am juggling two blowing irons and two bubbles, and need to invert one over the other...so risky but so rewarding.”
Hand-blown Glass
We love...
Rebecca is such a cool person. She is driven, so driven that she went to Sweden to perfect her skill to then return to New Zealand and combine her kiwi spirit with the classic Swedish technique and design aesthetic. She works the hot work out of a studio in Whangarei and then brings her treats back to a studio under the house overlooking a beautiful beach and glistening water. She has sorted life, and her work shows it! ARTFORM.
Feature
In the hotshop anemones are fun to make as they are so cheerful and each one is slightly different. They are a great spectator piece for the many locals and visitors who come by the studio when I am working as each step in the making has a story to tell. In my cutting and polishing workshop I like carving the granite geodes and seeing the optical magic appear.
The Swedish overlay which is used in the majority of my double bubbles is difficult to master as it is reliant on timing, temperature and a lot of practice. Everything needs to be prepared perfectly and then assembled at exactly the right moment. This can be quite a challenge as I am juggling two blowing irons and two bubbles, and need to invert one over the other. It was developed in Orrefors in the 1916 by Edward Hald and Simon Gate when forming blanks for the famous graal technique, so named as it was considered the holy grail of glass blowing. Having spent five years living in Orrefors I naturally chose to learn the Swedish overlay and gave it a kiwi flavour on my return to New Zealand.
Watch Rebecca blowing glass here.