I wrote yesterday about the wonderful tamarillos of Lou Pendergrast-Mathieson. But you can't talk about glass tamarillos and not refer to the work of Fran Anderton, who has made tamarillos very much her own fruit. I have admired them for quite a while, and was very pleased to be able to acquire one from the Whanganui Glass Festival exhibition in October last year.
Fran was born in England (and nothing wrong with that, I say assertively) and moved to New Zealand as a schoolgirl. She trained in glass design and production at UCOL Whanganui, graduating with a Diploma in 2003. She has a strong interest in the natural environment, which she attributes in part to having a plant propagator for a mother and a florist for a sister, though Fran says she is also influenced by the uniqueness of New Zealand's beautiful native bush, beaches and scenery. Avocadoes, citrus and olives have all provided inspiration for her bottles and bowls, but in my view it is her tamarillo bottles that are the most successful.
Fran makes both cast and blown glass in her purpose built home studio in Whanganui.
Her website is at http://www.frananderton.co.nz/About.aspx
Her website is at http://www.frananderton.co.nz/About.aspx
