My Story
Our Irish glassware studio specialises in the production of kiln formed Irish glass art and focuses on the development of high-end bespoke glass pieces.
Keith Sheppard established his Irish glassware and sculpture art studio in 2011.
The pieces predominantly involve the infusion of metals into glass, giving each piece a dimension of uniqueness and identity with enhanced vibrant colourations.
Keith’s Irish Glass Art pieces are both Corporate and Gallery orientated and selected items can purchased on the website.
Keith is based in Moyallan, County Armagh.
ln his life, Keith embraced the outdoors in the most adventurous of situations.
This aspect of Keith’s life was curtailed in 2009 after a life threatening skiing accident. Keith sustained a spinal cord injury, initially paralysing him from the waist down.
Faced with the medical opinion that the probability of walking again was less than three percent.
Almost seven months later, Keith walked out of hospital on two crutches and drove home to start his artistic life.
And so ended the life of the adventurer and began the life of an artist.
Having trained in both Ireland and England over the last 10 years, Keith works predominantly with copper in glass to create bespoke glass vases and bowls.
Recently, he has been involved in creating individual unique Irish glass sculpture pieces for gallery display and collection.
As the metal fused at vertebrae C6/C7 this keeps Keith walking and so preserves that aspect of his active life. Keith’s art explores the possibilities of fusing the improbable to create objects which are remarkable, interesting and life affirming – that is; glass fused with metals in a kiln at temperatures of up to 810+ C.
His expanding development shows originality and energy.
His body irrevocably changed by nature, Keith’s art shows a similar, but in this case, positive metamorphosis.
Artist Statement
“In a relatively short period of time I have been catapulted forward, accelerating my creativity and exploitation of the kiln formed Irish glass that I create in my glass products and sculptures studio.
Whilst practising and experimenting with different techniques, I was excited by my intentional and accidental outcomes.
By bringing glass and metals together I have attempted, not only to express my individuality, to define each piece’s functionality, but also to create a strong visual attraction to ‘touch and feel’ the nature, outline and identity of each piece.
I am extremely excited with recent developments, particularly with my large glass sculpture pieces and my goal is not only to make work that is certainly possible to be used functionally but also to cross the boundary of function to that of a work of art.”
Keith Sheppard
Keith Sheppard Glass Artistry, an Irish glassware and glass sculpture studio in Northern Ireland