Layne’s journey in glass began in 1994 during his degree course in 3D Design at the University of Central Lancashire. Upon graduating with his degree, he worked at London Glassblowing for a number of years before moving to Brazil where he set up his own glass studio.
On returning to the UK he rejoined London Glassblowing, adding to his knowledge by working with Peter Layton, one of its founders. Over the years, having built upon this experience he has achieved high levels of skill and corresponding recognition. He currently works from his studio in Cambridgeshire.
He has been making an ongoing series of forms inspired by Stratus coastlines with their corroded sedimentary rock formations, and landscapes with layered horizons. Layne’s series ‘Woven’ and ‘New Horizons’ reference these distinctive coastal formations in North Norfolk, as well as the vast Fenland skies where he has his workshop. The level of detail in these series comes from intricate glass cane work, selecting coloured glass rods and ‘weaving’ them with overlays and fine cutting, which replicates natural processes that we see in sedimentary coastal rock forms and the freshness of new plant growth.
Layne has been invited to exhibit in the UK and worldwide, including the V&A, Saatchi Gallery, and Ebeltoft Glass Museum, amongst artists such as Graysen Perry, Alexander McQueen, and Lino Tagliapietra. He was awarded the Bavarian State Prize in 2015 for his Woven series. Most recently receiving a Craft and Design Award for “Ornithology” at the British Glass Biennale 2022, and exhibiting in the Belgium Ceramic and Glass Biennale 2022.
