Artist opens glass door to first studio

AN AWARD-winning glass artist who has made doors and windows for large houses across the Central Belt will launch her first studio this week at Comrie, in Perthshire.

Mairi Urquhart decided to join the growing number of small shops opening in her home village rather than setting up her store in Edinburgh or Glasgow, where she learned her craft.

Her Urquhart Glass & Art Studio will also stock pieces created by other local artists and will be used to run classes and workshops so she can pass her skills on to other glass enthusiasts.

Urquhart, who worked at insurance firm Aviva before re-training as an artist, won the Glasgow trades house advanced decorative glass award 2010 and the student of the year award when she completed her diploma in glass design at Glasgow Metropolitan College.

Her training also included spells at colleges in Carlisle, Edinburgh and Perth.

Urquhart said: “Most people associate stained glass with church windows, but it can also be used in very modern styles too.

“I was recently commissioned to make coloured glass for use as part of door frame in a very modern house.

“Looking round a lot of the older houses in Glasgow, you see a lot of stained glass used around the doors and windows. A lot of people tend to focus on Charles Rennie Mackintosh’s roses but he also created some other wonderful works with glass.”

As well as running her studio, Urquhart will continue to work on larger commissions.