The Isabelle Davies Story

'Although I have been part of COS for only a year, I have been given amazing artistic platforms: firstly at the Fitzwilliam Museum in 2025 as part of the COS Young Artists competition, and this year at ArtSpace5-7 among a group of very talented artists'

1. How did you come to art?

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I have always wanted to create. The only reason I got into trouble at school was for doodling in class. I have tried out different ways I could live my life; being an archaeologist, a teacher, working in marketing. But over and over I have returned to art. Being a stained glass artist and conservator has enabled me to make art my constant companion.

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2. What drives you to create?

It’s like an itch, or pressure in a bottle. I’m excited to create something that has meaning to me and to connect with others through it, both now and in the future. I think my deep interest in history, and therefore stained glass, is grounded in the power of objects and artworks to survive for centuries. They communicate such insight – in terms both of historical detail, and imaginative apprehension – into the world, or worlds, in which they were made: and they also take on new meaning and significance for every viewer. 

Stained glass is an endangered heritage craft, and I think of my creative work and my conservation work as two sides of the same coin: preserving the skills and keeping the art alive. It’s a privilege to be part of the long legacy of stained glass, and it therefore feels like an important duty to pass on that legacy through my own contributions.

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3. What inspires you?

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The history of stained glass is a big inspiration for me. As a conservator I get to look at incredible historic glass and, like a magpie, take inspiration from different aspects such as the colours, styles of painting, compositions, and subject matters. I am also inspired by the ancient world. Studying classical archaeology has made me love the dynamic bodies found in Greek sculpture and pottery.

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4. What do you need to make your art?

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Stained glass has many different components. For designing I often use paper, pencil, paint and ink. For the physical making it requires glass, lead, solder, putty, glass paints and stains, and equipment like hammers, nails, and importantly a kiln. Beyond that, I mostly need time. Thinking, planning, and making are long processes.
 

5. What is the process by which you make your work?

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Stained glass is funny. It requires careful handling and precision in cutting and painting, yet it also requires intense physical processes of firing and leading. It is inherently fragile but can also survive hundreds of years. It is full of contradictions. I have a plan when making work, but glass, lead, paints and stains can all have a life of their own, meaning that I often consider making a collaboration between me and the materials.

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6. How is your art influenced by the space in which you create it?

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The subjects that interest me are noticeably influenced by the different spaces in which I practise. For example, when I was training and working away from my family, friends and partner, my main focus was creating works focused on people. Now that I live and work in Cambridge with my partner, family and friends nearer, I am most inspired by the natural surroundings, as well as the current existential challenges to stained glass. 

Space influences my work in terms both of what is there, and tangible; and what is conspicuously absent, or a cause for anxiety.
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7. How do you respond to limitations and constraints?

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My exhibition collection is a response to current limitations in working with stained glass. The profession is facing several challenges. It is an endangered craft; there are limited studios and professionals who work to create and protect the art, and training pathways into the profession are becoming rarer. Obtaining materials is difficult and expensive; flat glass production in the UK is almost extinct, so glass must be bought from Europe and America. 

There is also the looming threat of the new proposals to change current leadworking legislation, which will have numerous unintended consequences: especially – and especially adversely – for women. I have responded to these challenges by experimenting with recycling glass from bottles, and drawing attention to the female body: now, as throughout history, the site of legislative contention.
 

8. What does being in a community like COS mean for you?

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Being part of COS’s community is incredible. As a freelance conservator and artist I spend much of my working life on my own, and while I can be independent, I love the company of people. I have learnt so much from my fellow members about their creative processes, as well as more practical things such as running a business as an artist. 

Although I have been part of COS for only a year, I have been given amazing artistic platforms: firstly at the Fitzwilliam Museum in 2025 as part of the COS Young Artists competition, and this year at ArtSpace5-7 among a group of very talented artists. I am extremely grateful!

9. What is art for? 

To me, art is for communication. It is to make you feel and think.

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Based on an interview between Isabelle Davies and Georgia Short on 17 July 2026.

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Isabelle Davies runs the independent studio Iota Glass.​

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