About Sanders & Wallace
Andrew Sanders and David Wallace trained at North Staffordshire Polytechnic on a Multi-Disciplinary Design course. It was there that they found a common interest in working with hot glass and blown glass in particular.
Glass as a material has been in existence for at least 4000 years, the earliest artifacts being either carved or press moulded. However, it was discovered n Syria about 50BC that molten glass could be fashioned. It was the Romans who first developed this simple idea into a highly skilled craft utilising the inherent qualities of molten glass for their decorative techniques.
The techniques and equipment Andrew and David use have changed little since the invention of the glassblowing process, simple metal and wooden tools being used to apply decoration and manipulate the glass. Decoration in the form of molten glass, both clear and coloured, is applied during the making process. Some of the pieces they produce are sprayed with a chemical solution which is introduced to the flame of the furnace giving a delicate iridescence.
Andrew and David work together at their small workshop in Pateley Bridge to produce a range of handmade decorative glassware including vases, bowls, bottles, paperweights and drinking glasses, which are designed both individually and in close collaboration.