Howse, Mel
Mel Howse (b.1968) is a British glass artist and graduate of the Swansea School. As a student, and throughout her career, she has won numerous awards for her work as contemporary designer, maker, and for the contribution her art has made to heritage.
Her versatile and ambitious portfolio includes stained glass, vitreous enamels on steel, and progressive industrial pieces using toughened glass, in her quest for individual and inspiring aesthetics.
She continually re-evaluates the opportunities presented by glass as a creative architectural medium, within installed commissions for public art.
Mel’s work focuses on the nature of a piece, aiming for completeness of vision, and spirit of place, with every commission its own world in terms of innovation, purpose, symbolism or form.
Source: Mel Howse website
Mel Howse and the Worshipful Company of Glaziers
The Worshipful Company of Glaziers was founded in 1328 and remains dedicated to the art and craft of stained glass. In recent times the emphasis has moved from the protection of the personal economic welfare of Glaziers to the preservation of the heritage of stained glass and the support of continuing high standards.
A key part of this work has been the annual competition for young artists, which began in 1932 and which, since 1982, has operated under the banner of the Stevens Competition, the premier competition for stained glass artists in the UK.
Mel Howse won first prize in 1991 with a design for a Lord Olivier Window for the National Theatre. This was a theoretical location, so no window was actually made. The winning design is shown above, along with an image of the sample panel that accompanied the entry.
Mel Howse subsequently went on to act as a Stevens Competition judge.
