Hi I'm Paul A.K.A "Briff" the owner of Shinewater Glass and Shinewater Crafts thanks for dropping by our website. on this page you will discover a little bit more about me, what I do and why I love the craft of glass fusing.

Where did it all begin?

As a child growing up in post war Coventry I was always drawn to the new cathedral, when the light catches the baptistery window in a certain way it stirs feelings of awe and wonder inside of me. I have always enjoyed being creative, at first it was photography then programming (I've spent a shade over forty years in IT), then writing, drawing and animation. My wife and children all enjoyed making jewellery as a hobby and every year we would attend the bead fair in Surrey. I found myself drawn to the Tuffnell Glass stand and their brilliant demonstrations of lampwork bead making. While on a family holiday in October 2019 we visited the National Glass Centre in Sunderland and watched their inspiring glass blowing demonstrations. I finally decided I wanted turn my hand to crafting with glass, but wasnt sure how, so I began my research. 

Then the covid Lock down happened, and while looking for a new way to fill my time with some creativity I stumbled upon the craft of Glass fusing in a Microwave Kiln (MWK), I devoured a lot of YouTube videos on the topic and became part of the facebook community of MWK glass fusers. I bought my first kiln and a Microwave and before I knew it I was hooked and a Passion was kindled.  Yes you read that correctly I did say Microwave kiln and you can learn more about that on our YouTube channel.

Why Bullseye Glass?

Not all glass is born equal, you cant just take any two pieces of glass and fuse them together.   Bullseye Glass was developed in Portland Oregon USA in 1974 specifically for the burgeoning glass fusing community at its core was the desire to develop a range of glass in many colours compatible to fuse to each other. The company have a fascinating history, I can recommend checking out their story in the documentary  The Birth of Fusible Glass. I chose to use Bullseye glass for their range of colours, durability, ease of use and their rich company history.