Rachel Bellman Sea Glass  Artist

In retrospect, it seems unsurprising that I should end up in the niche occupation of sea glass artist!  I grew up by the sea, in the Scottish Highlands, and my earliest memories are of daily strolls along the beach with my mum to collect ‘treasure’ to turn into art projects. 

After a career in teaching Modern Languages I have returned to my earliest preoccupation.  

Whenever possible I spend my holidays combing the beaches of the UK for sea glass, driftwood, sea pottery, rocks and shells that I use to create original artwork.  I was one of the first artists in the UK to use sea glass as a medium and many of my designs have inspired others makers.       

There are certain themes that I enjoy working and reworking, but often the images I produce are one-offs, never to be repeated. My work is often described as whimsical and fun, though not all of my pieces are light hearted. 

An image can be made from 4 pieces of sea glass or 400.  You might think more pieces of glass equals a better picture but achieving simple perfection is often deceptively difficult.