Ian Pearson
Ian commenced a career as a scientific glassblower with a company owned by his Uncle who was himself a scientific glassblower, thus continuing a family tradition. The company, Scientific Glassware specialists was based in Thornton Heath, Surrey, close to where Ian was born in 1953 at Croydon. Following this three year employment which saw Ian carry out artistic demonstrations of flame working to local schools and charities, other employers included: Scientific Glassblowing Company, Oldham. 1972-1975; Jencons Scientific, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire. 1975- 1981; United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Dounreay, Caithness. 1981-2006. All as a scientific glassblower and with the latter organisation in charge of a glassblowing department with at one stage three staff. Currently working as a Records Manager at Dounreay following the closure of the glassblowing department.
In 1985 Ian became Editor of the Journal of the British Society of Scientific Glassblowers, a position he continues to hold today. Previously he was their Audio/Visual co-ordinator and Abstract Editor. In 2002 Ian was chosen to lead the BSSG as their Chairman and will hold this post until he steps down in September 2009 at the Annual BSSG Symposium in Clydebank. He has written many articles on flame working glass both technical and artistic and travelled extensively in the UK as well as USA AND Europe in reviewing exhibitions.
In 1990 Ian with his late wife Maureen opened Thurso Glass Studio which was and is home to “Glass Creations”. Although Maureen died in 2005, Ian continues as sole proprietor and works exclusively on commissions and exhibits regularly in the local area and occasionally further afield. See www.glasscreations.ukf.net
Last exhibited at the Peter Potter Gallery Paddington, as part of 2008 SGS Annual exhibition. Other recent exhibitions include: Society of Caithness Artists Annual Exhibition, Thurso. July 2008 (and every year previously since 1990); American Scientific Glassblowers Annual Symposium 2008, Atlantic City June 2008; European Glass Symposium, Veldhoven June 2007; BSSG Symposium, Durham, September 2006.
Ian’s work can be seen at various public and private locations such as:
- St. Anne’s RC Church, Thurso Caithness
- Castle of Mey, Caithness
- Thurso Cemetery, Caithness
- Perkin Elmer Optoelectronics, Cambridgeshire
- Thurso Glass Studio, Thurso Caithness
- Thomas Kinkade Gallery, Ireland
- UKAEA establishments, Harwell, Sellafield and Dounreay
- US Navy establishments – various
- Daniel O’Donnell’s home/hotel. Ireland
- With Billy Idol
- DVD inner for “Remember That Night” by David Gilmour
- Charity Shops.