Ian Pearson

Born in 1953, Ian Pearson's passion for glassworking was ignited when he was fourteen years of age and started working in his uncle's glass business in South London during the school holidays.

It seemed natural that on leaving school Ian would continue developing his glassblowing skills by working for several companies based in Manchester and Hertfordshire. In 1981 he moved to Caithness in Scotland to become head of the glassblowing department at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority site at Dounreay.

Although trained as a scientific glassblower, Ian has dversified by incorporating his artistic talents and, with his late wife Maureen, opened the 'Thurso Glass Studio' in 1991.Maureen passed away i May 2005 but Ian still continues with his glass creations keeping the burner alight in her memory.Here the business , known as 'Glass Creations' www.glasscreations.ukf.net supplies unique sculptures for many commemorative and gift requirements world-wide made from glass tubing and rod worked in the open flame style.

Ian says of the Flame Off 2009

         " I am planning my demo and it willhave something for everyone although i will be working with clear boro, i do use a little coloured andi will start off small, focussing on different shapes, then move a little bigger, involving blowing but not so complicated that it will put people off. I am aware of the type of audience but i would like to finish with something spectacular which may involve two or three people working on the same burner."