Three by Three: Guest Artists in Focus
QUESTION 2. Your subject matter ranges from domestic companions to wildlife to inanimate objects. What draws you to move between intimate, personal commissions and more speculative or whimsical pieces?
ANSWER 2. There is no logic to my choice of subject matter. My selection process is mere instinct and what excites me. Occasionally, it's driven by a particularly beautiful sheet of glass that I've purchased, so I work the subject matter around the glass, but more often it's driven by something that visually triggers me. There are times that I crave a technical challenge, for example. I decided to incorporate Celtic knots into some of my wild animal portraits to evoke that sense of spirituality and nobility in the animal. So you could say that challenging myself and not becoming stagnant also determines my subject matter. As I become more experienced with the medium, I feel more able to broaden my range and experiment, so my subject matter can be determined by feeling the need for a new challenge or trying something technically complicated to see where I can take it. From a commercial perspective, pet portraiture is my bread and butter and is derived from the customer's requirements.
Jody Curtis
Glass Artist
BIO: I'm an Aberdeenshire-based artist, currently specialising in stained glass. It has been stated all my life that the only way my mother could get me to stay still for any length of time was to sit me down with sheets of newspaper and paint. As it turned out, I have autism and ADHD. I've grown older over the years, but not much has changed in that respect. I've studied at both Aberdeen College and Gray's School of Art in the practical aspects of art, and also completed an Art History degree with the OU. For many years, I took the applications from printmaking, i.e., layering and building an image, and made paper cuts. Many people commented that my work resembled stained glass, so, on a whim, I purchased a stained glass starter kit and started teaching myself through videos online. That was 18 months ago, and I'm still devouring new knowledge every day.
LINK: Facebook
QUESTION 3. Many of your works are deeply personal to your clients. How do you navigate the collaborative process so the final piece feels both true to the animal’s essence and authentic to your artistic vision?
ANSWER 3. This is the tricky part. My clients have a deep, intimate relationship with their pets, and I pride myself on getting it right for every one. My process involves intense communication with the client about their pet. What the animal's character is like, particular markings or features that are important to the client. While my design will be as accurate to the animal as possible, I do take artistic licence relating to what is realistic for the medium, so the design is a representation of the pet rather than an exact likeness. Therefore, it's important to discover what aspects of the animal really matter to the client. I'm in constant communication with them, detailing each stage as I go, so they can see the development of the piece and can request changes or additions, where possible. I'm always honest with my customers,. Trust is a vital part of the process so being transparent helps keep a healthy working relationship and allows me to work more freely as an artist and maintain my integrity.
QUESTION 1. Working with premium mouth-blown glass seems central to the depth and glow of your panels. What qualities in these materials guide your choices when building a creature’s form or mood?
ANSWER 1. Colour is the straight answer. I'm incredibly drawn to the colour of the glass, particularly bright and wispy glass. I want the piece to sing when it's lit up, so the colour is what really drives my narrative. This can be incredibly challenging due to the limitations on glass selections in the UK, more specifically so when creating a piece for a customer of their pet. Getting the colour right is vital to drawing out the essence of the animal, sometimes right down to a fleck of brown in the eye. Obviously, the design is also vital; however, you can draw up a magnificent design, only for it to fall flat with the wrong colour combinations. I adore the process of producing a piece and watching it evolve through the different stages of glassmaking, right up until the final stage, where you solder and patina the work. From paper to actuality, the colour is what gives a piece its soul.
"Cosy Robin" - 2025, stained glass, approx 20cmx20cm
"Staffie"- 2025, stained glass, approx 28cmx24cm
"Stallion" - 2025. stained glass, approx 25cmx 20cm
All copyright and reproduction rights are reserved by Jody Curtis.
Artwork may not be reproduced in any form without the artist's express written permission.
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