Environmental Glass is the name of the first solo display by York artist Suzanne Dekker at Dutch House in Crayke.

Her exhibition of work made during the past two years focuses on recycling and reusing glass, a material that never breaks down in the ground.

Born in York in 1966, Suzanne has always been creative, but after taking part in a taster day at York College eight years ago, she discovered the beauty and excitement of working with glass.

“From the first moment I worked with glass I knew I had found my niche,” she says. “I get so inspired by the whole process of transformation and the fascinating results of melting, fusing, painting and reshaping glass.”

She joined art classes at York College and spent her first three years making stained glass, plus a full year of glass fusing. At the age of 40, while juggling a 30-hour working week, raising three children and caring for an ageing mother, she started a degree course at the same college.

During her course, in 2008 she won the student category of the Warm Glass Prize, a national competition for glass artists, and last year she graduated with first class honours.

Suzanne is inspired both by the natural world and the work of British landscape artists such as Richard Long and Andy Goldsworthy. She uses a broad range of techniques, among them copper foiling, leading, painting, fusing, slumping, casting and lamp working, and is passionate about reusing glass.

“Most of my work is made from glass that would normally end up in landfill, such as window glass, but also bottles and container glass,” she says. “Giving the material a new lease of life as a unique piece is central to my practice.”

At present, waste window glass goes into landfill and only 34 per cent of bottle and container glass in Britain is recycled. “What I make is my little bit of ‘doing it for the environment’,” says Suzanne, whose exhibition is the last major show of the year at Dutch House, the art, design and nature centre run by Dutch couple Cecile Creemers and Sjaak Kastelijn at Mill Green Farm, Crayke.

“Suzanne is such an inspiring, creative and productive artist,” says Cecile. “Her philosophy fits perfectly into our concept of art, design and nature. Her work is very diverse, sustainable and inspired with a natural beauty.”

Suzanne will share her skills in two workshops on glass fusing and copper foiling on November 12 and December 8, the closing day of her exhibition. For more information on these workshops, visit dutchhouseyorkshire.com

Dutch House is open in October from Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 5pm, and from November to next April, Friday to Sunday, 10am to 4pm.

Charles Hutchinson