HANDBLOWN GLASS ALBERTA, CANADA “There’s always a second chance with glass”Fascapple - In the highlands of Scotland there’s a small village called Beauly, which sits about a half hour’s drive north of Inverness. The countryside is stunning and that’s where my Grandfather MacRae, known as Poppa Jock to my brother and me, grew up. He was born and raised on a croft (farm to us) known as Fascapple. Life was hard, but it was also filled with a sense of humour and community. "I’ve always believed it’s important to know your family’s history – know where you come from. This is my way of acknowledging the support and history on both sides of my family. Likewise, it’s my way of acknowledging the artists and master craftspeople of yesterday and today. Their history is essential to my future." Incalmo Glass - The technique of constructing an object, usually a vessel, by fusing two or more blown glass elements. The process, first practiced in the Islamic world in the Middle Ages, demands great precision because the edges of the adjoining elements must have precisely the same diameter. Hayden has been creating incalmo glass pieces for many years now. Across the series there is a common theme and yet each one is unique. "I draw on the incalmo glass blowing technique to embrace those moments when the chaos and energy of the creative mind meets the precise rings of life's demands. Those moments can, at times and by choice, result in life lived a bit off-balance."