Tanja Entwistle completed her Masters Degree in Glass with Distinction in Swansea in 2004 having come from a Fine Art background which concentrated initially on printmaking and latterly on painting, both of which inform her approach to creating work using glass. Her initial training in glass was in 2001 with Adele Corrin in London and involved traditional leading techniques as well as some painting and staining on glass together with sandblasting. During her MA however, her preoccupation with light, texture, colour and the organic found expression in a kiln-forming technique called fusing.

The fusing technique that she uses, and developed during her studies, involves incorporating organic elements, for example, feathers and leaves, into the glass together with various metal powders, leaf, oxides and enamels. These are then taken to temperates of approximately 850 degrees centigade in a kiln where they melt together to form one piece. Every desired colour and effect involves a large amount of testing and experimentation to ensure the desired outcome.

Now based in Oxford, Tanja is available for commissions for architectural pieces such as windows but continues her experimentation with glass producing independent art glass panels and also functional objects such as bowls.

"My aim is to produce work that is calm, peaceful and contemplative that creates an atmosphere of serenity in the space in which it is set. I enjoy bringing external organic elements into the built environment to remind us of the natural world. Natural cycles constantly transform the world in which we live, but the built environment can often disconnect us from that process. However, the constantly changing interaction of light with glass enables natural transformations to be a part of of the built environment."