Stuart Ackroyd specialises in hot studio glass. He creates one-off pieces for exhibition in addition to functional production work and undertakes commissions / collaborations.

He says:'Since the first moment I worked with hot glass I knew I had found the medium I would use for the rest of my career. I love using glass, where the finished piece is a solid form, to create the sensation of movement and grace.'

Ackroyd has always found inspiration from nature. It was during a snorkelling trip in Cuba that he began to design glass in which the patterns and shapes are organic and striking. His most recent one-off pieces are asymmetrical plates and bowls in vibrant colours, up to 80cm in diameter, blown twice to enable rhythmic patterns to be incorporated, then hot cut to distort the form. These pieces were designed after researching the flora and fauna of the Red Sea.

"Stuart Akroyd's individuality lies in his abundant ability to combine the carefully-controlled skills and precision of the glassblower with the visionary flair of the designer's eye, creating stylistically crisp and contemporary pieces, all of which are vibrant, bold and aesthetically beautiful. Stuart is unmistakenly one of Britain's leading glass designers working today." Peter Burridge, Montpellier Contemporary Arts, Stratford.