Featuring Mark Elliott
Mark Eliott was born in New Zealand, but grew up amongst the kaleidoscopic rabble of artists and other misfits in Sydney’s counterculture. This gave him a flexible outlook on life and the opportunity to explore various media: particularly sketching, woodcraft, ceramics, theatre and music – often while he was supposed to be at school.
His obsession with glass began as a teenage archeological interest in digging up old bottles and led to an informal apprenticeship at Minson scientific glass company. After a joyful period of experimentation in Peter Minson’s backyard hot-shop and briefly assisting Stephen Skillitzi , he went back to school and then went bush. He worked at a variety of jobs, traveled, played saxophone in numerous bands and studied Jazz at Sydney ‘s conservatorium only to be drawn inexorably back into the vortex of glass.
Restricting himself mostly to borosilicate flame-work sculpture in recent years has helped him to focus his art practice and has provided a boundary to stretch against however he increasingly incorporates other media into his work and continues to play music. Mark also enjoys doing one-on-one teaching, running workshops and doing public flamework demonstrations. He imports Northstar borocolour for use in his own work and for distribution to other flame-workers.
When he can find time, Mark likes to participate in community cultural, charitable and environmental projects Mark lives in Bondi, Sydney with his partner Manjit and their two children.
His obsession with glass began as a teenage archeological interest in digging up old bottles and led to an informal apprenticeship at Minson scientific glass company. After a joyful period of experimentation in Peter Minson’s backyard hot-shop and briefly assisting Stephen Skillitzi , he went back to school and then went bush. He worked at a variety of jobs, traveled, played saxophone in numerous bands and studied Jazz at Sydney ‘s conservatorium only to be drawn inexorably back into the vortex of glass.
Restricting himself mostly to borosilicate flame-work sculpture in recent years has helped him to focus his art practice and has provided a boundary to stretch against however he increasingly incorporates other media into his work and continues to play music. Mark also enjoys doing one-on-one teaching, running workshops and doing public flamework demonstrations. He imports Northstar borocolour for use in his own work and for distribution to other flame-workers.
When he can find time, Mark likes to participate in community cultural, charitable and environmental projects Mark lives in Bondi, Sydney with his partner Manjit and their two children.
