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Bio
Jessica Theobald is a glass artist specializing in lampworking and currently studying Design Crafts at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) in Swansea, where she is in her second year. Her work blends glass with mixed media like metal and fabric, exploring the contrast between fragility and industrial strength.
Color plays a central role in her practice, and she is fascinated by how different colors and combinations can evoke emotional responses. Inspired by her surroundings, Jessica’s work often explores themes related to the human body and nature.
Through experimentation and making, Jessica pushes materials to new limits, creating pieces that spark curiosity and invite deeper exploration.
Artist statement
I work primarily with glass, using lampworking as my main process. I’m drawn to the precision and intensity it requires, and the way it allows me to build detailed, expressive forms. I often combine glass with mixed media—metal, found objects, or natural materials—to explore contrast and material tension. I love the tension comes from combining the fragile with the industrial.
Colour is a constant driver in my work. I often become completely absorbed in it—testing how it reacts to light, layering, and context. I’m especially interested in the emotional impact of colour and how subtle shifts can change the entire feel of a piece.
My environment plays a big role in shaping what I make. The landscape, weather, and changing light where I live influence both my materials and ideas. Much of my work connects to the human body or to nature, and sometimes to the overlap between the two.
Story is often at the core of my work. Even if it’s not obvious, each piece usually carries some kind of narrative or emotional thread. I don’t always know what that story is at the start—I learn by making. The physical act of working things out with my hands helps shape the direction of the work as I go.
Experimentation is a constant. I like trying out new techniques, pushing materials to do things they’re not supposed to do. I’m interested in what happens when things don’t quite match or behave—when materials push back.
I rarely begin with a fixed outcome in mind. Instead, I aim to make work that sparks curiosity—something people want to get close to, wonder about, and feel without needing a full explanation.