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Artist4u.net
32 Kempshott Road,
London, SW16 5LQ
Email:
enquires@artist4u.net

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IAN CRAWLEY
Artist in Glass

I was born somewhere along the Marylebone Road in an ambulance. The Second World War was on. Whether this had anything to do with me being dropped to the floor by an nervous ambulance assistant I don't know. However life fhas continued from that moment to be punctuated by the unusual and alarming and that includes my artistic achievements. That is I tend to create the unusual and dramaticFor reasons I was not so aware of at the time could be found even when I shouldn't be there in the art room of Sloane School, Chelsea. Somehow Latin, Chemistry, etc, didn't seem to have the same appeal and I always wa pleased to notdice that fmy paintings would appear on the school walls. Also, it was a great pleasure to find that that imagination, despite my own ideas about spelling,could create stories and reports about exciting experiences in such a way as to give the reader the same picture - idea - that I had. So it dawned on me that ART and ever will be COMMUNICATION and valued highly as it creates effect. Fortunely it seemed that the effects I managed to create brought more pleasure than pain to others so it was OK to share my ideas with them. What I like to recall at this moment is the idea that all I created was true as I perceived it and thus I did not need to lie so it became a lasting pleasure. My first picture became the school Christmas Card and was a pen and ink picture. The second one was a water colour of the inside steamy steel making plant that can be found in my mother's house to this day.At age 16 I found myself drawing interesting buildings and particularly pencil sketches of flowers. Perhaps I couldn't afford a camera!!What particularly pleased me was that others apparently drew pleasure from these pictures The idea of using any such skill to earn a living was a million miles away from my thoughts in those days. I was far too addicted to football and indeed any sport or physical adventure which all lead to a very active and challenging career as an officer in the RAF. By the time I had applied to the airforce I had managed to achieve a position in the National Youth Football team, my Queen Scout and Gold Standard of the Duke of Edinbugh Award which had only been institued by Prince Phillip. I shall never forget the demand and sense of hard won achievement with which I came away from the Outward Bound Centre at Eskdale in Cumberland. Whilst in the RAF I photographed just about any thing including of course Sheila my wife and our three lovely children in the sixties.

This has proved to have been truely an art form of lasting value. Like so many other ex-military types, in particularly those long served long careers and experienced the horrors as well as the good times; the long suppressed creative instinct that mankind in all its forms possesses butst hte dam walls and outflowed a torrent of all things that can be created using glass and lead. I found the creation of all artistic forms not only enjoyable but infrequently life enhancing - indeed I have been known to use art to encourage people to pull through in difficult times, its that powerful and important. There is little that equals the joy of creation and particularly so when shared and encouraged in a suitable environment. So it is quite natural that I found myself involved in such endeavours in Celebrity Centre International, Los Angeles, a set up I have of having help set up and establish in London. There is I find any equal sense of artistic communication to be achieved in poetry and prose and I give considerable attention to hterse forms as well. Back to glass! This started wilht items for Church alters such as hollow crosses in coloured glass like flower. Unfortunately these can only be seen in Churches in Greece and Cyrus. In fact I have managed to have something of my work in every continent. Funny enough it is not all windows though they are the major reason stained glass has lasting popularity. The table lights and lampshades are particularly attractive when light is on. Jewellery boxes with coloured emblems make attractive presents when styled to personal tastes Decorative mirrors are equally popular for the same reason and something new is coloured glass - birds for bathroom walls The pinnacle of which are also kaleidoscopes. I WILL TACKLE ANYTHING IN GLASS! My price range is from £50 for a jewellery box personalised to up to £1000 for a customised window. A tiffany lamp could be £2000. Feel free to contact me . I will discuss anything over cup of coffee -