Mel Howse
Mel Howse is a specialist in Vitreous Art.
Mel Howse is a designer and maker of vitreous art and public art commissions. She has 20 years' of professional experience and has undertaken a huge range of glass commissions including most notably the 500 sqm glass art facade for Sainsbury's CMK, the carved glass doors at St Nicholas' Church Arundel (which gained a Sussex Heritage Award), The Art Bath in cast iron and fired enamel, and a touring sculpture in spun steel and industrial vitreous enamel for Christian Aid.
Mel's portfolio embraces art that is integral to architecture, exterior, interior, and the sense of place. Many of Mel's pieces are site specific, animating and informing the identity of their surroundings, functional, and often facing into and engaging with the community. Most of her work is permanently installed.
This portfolio site shows a collection of her installed and exhibition pieces.
Installed commissions mean working within a team. Effective communication in previous projects has directly led to the successful participation in architectural competitions, planning applications, public presentations and Section 106 developments. For Sainsbury's, she was engaged in the early days of the scheme by the architect as part of the architectural competition, and later worked with the developer and constructor to create and install the work
In 2008 she became a Queen Elizabeth Scholar for her work with industrial vitreous enamels. Her pieces using steel such as large vessels and columns can be sculptural and architectural. Visual abstract surface texture is often key to her designs.
In recent years Mel has been able to bring all work back to Britain. Her design style is progressive, innovative, and intentionally utilises contemporary industrial techniques. This generates creative progress for today's visual and architectural needs, even when seeking synergy with ancient building fabric. This has also created an unusually diverse portfolio.
t: 020 8133 6123
m: 07809 048898
