A PAIR of internationally-regarded North Yorkshire glassmakers have combined old and new techniques to create a unique portrait of Teesdale.

The work by Stephen Gillies and Kate Jones – together Gillies Jones Glass, based in Rosedale Abbey in the heart of the North York Moors National Park – will be seen at Barnard Castle’s Bowes Museum until Sunday, May 13, in an exhibition entitled A Portrait of Place.

The long-established pair, whose work can be seen in galleries and museums worldwide, including London’s V&A, create cameo glass, with Stephen Gillies mouth-blowing the basic form, applying layers of fine colour using Swedish overlay, a challenging technique learned during a long international apprenticeship.

The plain piece is then decorated by Kate Jones, using sandblasting and wheel engraving – intaglio techniques which erode the surface of the glass to reveal layers of colour and allow light to flow through the form.

The nine pieces in A Portrait of Place are inspired by aerial views of Barnard Castle and the surrounding Teesdale taken from digital satellite images through the seasons.

“The landscapes of Teesdale have long been an inspiration to artists, including John Sell Cotman and JMW Turner,” said Kate.

“Our exploration and portrait of the area uses a different perspective, digital satellite imaging, which enables a new view of the landscape, revealing the geology, rivers systems and layers of human endeavour, carved into the land and overlaid for millennia.”

The Bowes Museum at Barnard Castle is open every day from 10am to 5pm.

It has a world renowned art collection, including early works by French glassmaker Émile Gallé.