Annette Blair’s glass sculptures explore notions of identity and personal narrative, looking at the relationships we often have with utilitarian objects and their ability to capture a feeling of a place, time or person. Annette uses the form of familiar household objects as her starting point and adds a variety of imagery and textures that remind her of home. She uses glass enamels in combination with blown glass and cold working techniques to create depth, texture and colour, often further enhancing the pieces in stunning still life arrangements. As Annette explains, “Combining these elements as beautiful tableaux, these objects gain new life as reimagined versions of themselves crafted in glass, I see them as portraits of a moment in time and I aim to evoke these shared nostalgic connections with my audience”. Although she draws on her own nostalgia, Annette expresses universal notions of memory and familiarity captured within her exquisite glass sculptures.
Annette Blair graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Visual Arts with Honours from the Canberra School of Art at the Australian National University. Since graduating, Annette has exhibited in numerous group exhibitions in Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra. Annette also regularly works as a gaffer and travels to teach glassblowing and glass painting both nationally and internationally. In 2023, Annette Blair was the winner of both the Vicki Torr International Year of Glass Prize and the Vicki Torr People’s Choice Prize for her piece ‘A Quiet Afternoon in May 2022’. She has been a finalist in numerous awards including the Waterhouse Natural Science Art Prize, Ranamok glass prize, Hindmarsh Prize and the National Still Life Award at Coffs Harbour Regional Gallery. In 2020, Annette was awarded the Flux Mentorship Award for a funded mentorship at the Canberra Glassworks.
