Annette Blair

‘My work is centered around our connection to place and the people who shape us along the way. Over the years I have explored these ideas by combining portrait imagery with blown glass. Recently my work has shifted as I have become fascinated by the associations many of us have with utilitarian objects. In particular, the way they have the ability to transport us to another time complete with smells and sounds, I am currently exploring this idea by combining blown, hot sculpted, and cold-worked glass with enamel painting processes. Giving these objects new life as reimagined versions of themselves crafted in glass, I see them as portraits of a moment in time and I aim to evoke these shared nostalgic connections with my audience.’

Annette Blair studied glass at the ANU School of Art, Canberra and received her Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours. In 2005, she began a two-year traineeship in the hot glass studio at the Jam Factory Craft and Design Centre, Adelaide. In 2008 Annette returned to Canberra where she predominantly works out of the Canberra Glassworks and her studio in Burra.  Annette’s practice is divided into several facets; the design and manufacture of functional glassware, the development of exhibition work for various national and international exhibitions, teaching in Australia and the USA, as well as gaffing for many of Australia’s leading artists working in glass.  Her exhibition pieces focus on ideas of identity and personal narrative, most recently exploring simple utilitarian objects and their ability to evoke a common sense of nostalgia.