Emma Lashmar is a Boorloo-born and based artist, passionate about the endlessly expressive qualities of hot glass. Sculpting in a dialogue with the dynamic molten material and relishing in the rhythms of the studio process – the heating and cooling, breathing and shaping, flux and flow – Emma crafts functional wares to elevate the everyday.
Fresh out of high school, Emma commenced studying Visual Arts at Curtin University. Her first encounters with glass blowing during this time left her mesmerised and subsequently frustrated by the lack of access to the method for undergraduates. This first encounter was enough to spark her curiosity, leading her to reach out to Gerry Reilly at the Melting Pot Studio in Margaret River, who generously welcomed her to watch and assist him at work.
“When I finally got my hands on the hot stuff the connection was immediate and visceral. Here was a material that captured light like no other, embodying fragility and resilience all at once.”
Emma then transferred her studies to Monash University in Melbourne to study Fine Arts (Glass) and from that point onwards, it became the core of her practice. Upon the completion of her Honours degree, Emma’s practice evolved site-specific installation works. She went on to exhibit widely in solo and group shows around Australia before travelling overseas to undertake extensive research and expand her skills. Emma participated in studio residencies and exhibition opportunities in Buenos Aires and Berlin and developed her technical glass skills in a masterclass at North Lands Creative in Scotland.
Returning home to Perth after a decade overseas, Emma reignited her professional practice with studio residencies and launched Emma Lashmar Art, an outlet for her exploration of the glass vessel.
Speaking on her creative process, Emma mentioned that her time spent in the studio is like picking up threads of a conversation with an old friend.
“The space hums with heat and rhythm; it’s a physically demanding environment and requires attention anchored firmly in the present.”
The dynamic nature of the process means that the hot glass must be kept in constant motion, regularly returning it to its optimum working temperature. Gathering molten material from the furnace, Emma shapes, blows, and reheats the piece: a cycle repeated until the ideal form begins to emerge. Emma noted that she works best when she is absorbed in this cyclical rhythm, sometimes with music setting the pace, or being in sync with her studio buddy, anticipating each other’s next moves.
When beginning a new body of work, Emma starts with a sense of what the collection will speak to and the colour palette she has in mind. Despite these initial plans, once the glass is glowing on the pipe, Emma noted that intuition and impulse tend to take over.
“I have a tendency to let the molten material speak rather than forcing it into a preconceived shape. It feels more authentic to the alchemical nature of hot glass to let that flow remain visible in the finished piece.”
Whilst a single vessel might take less than an hour to craft, Emma described each work as a culmination of an ongoing dialogue with glass, one that continues to hold her focus and fascination.
“Working hot glass demands presence, dexterity, and patience. It is endlessly challenging and a kind of poetry-in-process that I haven’t found elsewhere.”
Emma remains curious about the relationships we develop with the vessels selected for use in our everyday lives and aims to craft pieces that are unique and joyful, bringing a precious focus to quiet rituals and celebratory moments.
Images courtesy of Jessica Wyld and Bo Wong.
Grace Starcevich