GLASS: Scott Benefield; artist

I've always seen my work as an extension of an historical narrative that is about the material. It exists in relation to the long history of glass objects and embraces the techniques and traditions that enliven that history. The feeling of connection to past practice and to the heritage of glass motivates me as I seek to add to that ongoing conversation.

Get up, get things going in the studio, which means bringing the furnaces and kilns up to working temperature from their overnight idle settings. I set out the day’s work to be heated up. (Because everything is worked at temperatures exceeding 500C degrees, all of the preparatory work—colours, patterns, parts to be incorporated—have to be planned in advance and preheated before you can use them.)

Then have breakfast and get to work. I keep an eye on the clock to gauge my own productivity, but the time passes remarkably fast because you are completely engaged in the process—which demands a great deal of concentration and takes place as a continuous activity without breaks. I’m usually done by 4, so that the day’s work can cool down slowly and be ready to unload the next morning at 7, but there’s always other work to do—packing and shipping, grinding and polishing, maintaining the equipment, loading the furnace to melt tomorrow’s glass. It’s a full life.