Canberra glass artist Annette Blair has been recognised for her incredible glass moulding skills at the recent 2023 AUSGLASS Conference.

Blair was awarded the coveted Vicki Torr International Year of Glass Prize for her piece, A Quiet Afternoon in May 2022. The award honours renowned glass artist Vicki Torr while celebrating the ongoing vitality of the contemporary glass movement and acknowledging the innovation, excellence and creativity of Australian glass artists.

The non-acquisitive $10,000 prize was not the only one awarded to the sculpture, with Blair also receiving the $1,000 People’s Choice Prize.

The winning sculpture was part of Blair’s solo exhibition Quietly Spoken, which was showcased at the Canberra Glassworks last year. Inspired by everyday objects and their connection to memories and moments in time, Blair transforms glass into flawless recreations of domestic items like paintbrushes, oil cans and buckets.

A Quiet Afternoon in May 2022 features two buckets full of sticks, with coloured leaves placed on the ground, all carefully crafted from glass. The piece instantly transports the viewer to a brisk autumn scene where freshly fallen leaves paint the ground. Each of Blair’s works reveal a deep-rooted connection to items beyond their original function, triggering a memory of a specific place, time or person.

“It is an honour to have been awarded the Vicki Torr International Year of Glass Prize for a piece very dear to my heart. I was equally thrilled to have been selected by my peers as the winner of the People’s Choice Award from a beautiful display of finalists’ work,” Blair said.

Supported by the Canberra Glassworks Mentoring Program, in which Blair was a participant during 2020-22, she produced the work at the iconic Canberra institution.

Blair plans to use the prize money for future works. This year the artist will travel to America to visit two prestigious glass schools, Pilchuck Glass School and Pittsburgh Glass Centre. While all the aspects of the trip aren’t finalised yet, she is looking forward to working with US based artists.

“I will be fabricating at Pilchuck’s glass blowing studios for their artists and craft persons in residence, including Kirstie Rea and Maree Clarke.”

• Read more: Quietly spoken, a breathtaking moment in glass (9 July 2022)

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