Lewis Batchelar
Lewis Batchelar is a Glassblower, Artist and Maker, currently based in Whanganui, New Zealand. Graduating with a diploma in Glass Design and Production from the Whanganui School of Glass in 2012, Batchelar then relocated in 2015 to Adelaide, Australia to undergo the two-year Associate Training Program at JamFactory. Batchelar remained in Adelaide, honing his craft and working out of JamFactory’s Glass Studio before returning to New Zealand in 2023.
Batchelar’s work has been internationally recognised for its innovation and originality, Batchelar was a selected finalist in both the 2016 and 2018 FUSE Glass Prize for Australian and New Zealand glass, Young Glass 2017 in Ebeltoft, Denmark and the 2019 Tom Malone Prize in Perth, Australia. In 2012 he received the Ann Robinson Glass Award.
Lewis presented his first solo exhibition Refract at JamFactory in July 2023. In 2019 Batchelar was invited to co-teach a professional workshop alongside Madeline Prowd at Pilchuck International Glass School in Washington State, USA. This workshop focused on form, application of colour and patterning techniques. Batchelar served as Glass Production Manager at JamFactory, Adelaide in 2023. As a maker, Batchelar’s focus is the vessel. He aims to create aesthetically driven works that pay respects to the traditions and craftsmanship of the material. Form and proportion are essential elements in all the work he creates.