ERIN PELL / SASKATOON, SK

Erin Pell apprenticed as a glass blower but for most of her career, she worked making lamp-worked jewelry. Recently she has returned to blowing glass and makes functional, everyday items like tumblers and cups that add brightness and joy to their owner's days.

Her lamp-working has evolved over the last few years from jewelry to sculptural work like window hangings and presently her botanical sculptures. This new work is inspired by her love of flowers and plants especially the wild determined ones that seem to grow in the most difficult conditions. The bases she uses are usually wood that would otherwise be discarded like broken shovel handles or tables and natural wood such as tree pruning or storm felled branches. They are all cleaned, sanded and sealed with her own beeswax and olive oil finish.