- A feature from the September 2017 issue of Suffolk Norfolk Life magazine
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By Mike Trippitt
“I’m a good old Suffolk girl,” says fused-glass artist Verena Daniels from her studio in the heart of Felixstowe’s artists’ quarter. Her home county, its coastline and countryside inspire her work. “Because I have always lived by the sea, I have always enjoyed looking out to sea, looking at the colours of the sea. And being in Suffolk as well, it is definitely about light and sky.”
Although a proficient painter in oils and acrylics, her first real interest was ceramics. She says she found three dimensional art and pottery very practical and wonders whether “it is in my genes”:
“My parents were always very hands-on. My Mum was a great sewer and embroiderer. My father was similar; he was great with wood. They were very practical people. I think that is why I veered towards ceramics. Fine art was a bit highbrow. I could never quite relate to that terribly well.”
Verena became a competent ceramic hobbyist, but a chance meeting with former school friend Pat Todd led to a reunion that changed the course of both their lives.