Artist of the Month
August 2026
Clare Belfrage
Clare Belfrage is one of Australia's leading contemporary glass artists, internationally recognized for her exquisitely detailed blown glass sculptures. Inspired by the rhythms, textures, and patterns of the natural works, she creates delicate, layered works that merge technical mastery with poetic observation. Belfrage is represented by Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Canada. Click on each photo to the right for a full picture.
Canopy, Layered Life #5, 2026; 19 x 14 x 8 inches; blown glass with cane drawn additions, sandblasted, and pumice polished
Light Time, Red on Dark Grey, 2026; 16.25 x 9.5 x 6.25 inches; blown glass with cane drawn additions, sandblasted, and pumice polished
Canopy, Layered Life #7, 2026; 19 x 12.5 x 6.25 inches; blown glass with cane drawn additions, sandblasted, and pumice polished
Canopy, Layered Life, #6, 2026; 15.75 x 11 x 6 inches; blown glass with cane drawn additions, sandblasted, and pumice polished
Light Time, Red on Ivory, 2026; 17.75 x 11 x 6.25 inches; blown glass with cane drawn additions, sandblasted, and pumice polished
Clare Belfrage
Artist Statement:
The rhythms of the natural world continue to draw me in, shifting and expanding my experience of time. It's like the bush or forest is textured with different kinds of time. I feel this through the majesty and movement of tree-life, the softness and subtlety of surface growths like lichen and moss, the colours and textures of an understorey. Inspired and energised by these experiences my view is from close up, focussing on the detail both real and imagined. — Clare Belfrage
About Clare Belfrage
For more than 35 years, Clare Belfrage has built an internationally acclaimed career creating intricately drawn blown glass sculptures that explore the rhythms and complexities of the natural world. Working with exceptional technical precision, she layers fine cane drawing onto hand-blown glass forms, creating luminous surfaces that evoke lichen, moss, tree bark, water, and shifting landscapes. Her work balances spontaneity with careful control, transforming observations from nature into refined sculptural objects.
Belfrage's practice is distinguished by an extraordinary command of Venetian glassmaking techniques combined with a uniquely contemporary visual language. Rather than depicting nature literally, she captures its movement, energy, and constant transformation through intricate linear compositions that appear to grow organically across the glass surface.
Throughout her career she has received numerous prestigious awards, including the inaugural JamFactory FUSE Glass Prize in 2016 and the Tom Malone Glass Prize in both 2005 and 2011. In 2018 she was honored as JamFactory Icon and featured as the South Australian Living Artist (SALA) Festival artist, recognizing her significant contribution to contemporary Australian glass.
Her work has been exhibited extensively throughout Australia, Europe, Asia, and North America, including presentations at TEFAF Maastricht, PAD London, SOFA Chicago, the Toyama International Glass Exhibition, and Venice Glass Week. Belfrage's sculptures are held in many important public collections including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Gallery of Victoria, Corning Museum of Glass, Tacoma Museum of Glass, Toledo Museum of Art, Peabody Essex Museum, Castello Sforzesco Museum in Milan, Ernsting Stiftung GlassMuseum in Germany, and Ebeltoft Glass Museum in Denmark.
In addition to her studio practice, Belfrage has made significant contributions to arts education and leadership. She served as Creative Director of Canberra Glassworks from 2009 to 2013 and is currently Adjunct Professor with UniSA Creative at the University of South Australia. She has taught and demonstrated internationally at institutions including Corning Museum of Glass, Pilchuck Glass School, Pittsburgh Glass Center, and the Tacoma Museum of Glass, helping shape the next generation of glass artists.
Click here for an artist's resume.
Acknowledgment of Gallery:
We are grateful to Sandra Ainsley Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, for providing the Artist of the Month.
The Art Alliance for Contemporary Glass (AACG) is a not-for-profit organization and leading resource for glass collectors, art enthusiasts, artists, gallerists, museum personnel, and educators on all things related to glass art. AACG provides a collaborative place for robust conversations about glass art, including its production, techniques, and trends. We also encourage and support the glass community through annual grants and artist scholarships.
