Arts
SHAPING originality
By Andrea Louise Thomas Photos Peter Marko
P
eninsula glass artist Leisa Wharington is a true original. Her work is immediately recognisable. Her pieces are fluid and organic and infused with unique inclusions. Having spent three decades coaxing molten glass into every imaginable shape for both beauty and utility, it is fair to say she is a master at her craft.
Originally, Leisa studied ceramics at Caulfield Institute of Technology; a dynamic school where artists learned practical
hands-on skills. Every floor of the Art and Design building on campus housed a different art practice. Leisa found herself drawn from her ceramics studio up to the top floor of the building where the glass artisans were working. She was immediately mesmerised. She completed a Bachelor of Arts in Ceramic Design with a major in glass. She then went on to do post-graduate studies at the Pilchuck Glass School, an international centre for art glass education in Stanwood, Washington (USA). continued next page...
E ssence
30 | PENINSULA
January 2021