What inspires your art practice?
My work is deeply inspired by the sea the sound of the waves is a constant backdrop to life in Cornwall, its energy, movement, and ever-changing moods , I just love being in the water, looking at the water. Growing up surrounded by water, first in Africa and then on the Cornish coast, I’ve always felt a strong connection to it, swimming always feels a bit like flying to me, the weightlessness. Glass, to me, shares similar qualities to water: it’s a fluid, reflective, and almost intangible, you can look at it or through it. That parallel between water and glass continues to shape everything I create.
How did you first get interested in glass art?
I discovered glass quite by accident while studying for a foundation course at Falmouth Art College — my landlady introduced me to it she was making a stained glass window in her loft. I was immediately captivated by both the material and the process so I decided to go to an evening class. That moment led me to specialise in architectural stained glass at Swansea University, and although I later pursued a professional sporting career as a kite surfer that fascination with glass never left me.
How do you create your glassworks — from initial vision to creation?
Each piece begins with an idea an observation, or memory of the sea — the shape of a breaking wave, or the play of light on water. I sketch some ideas but I mainly work though samples. Making lots and lots of test pieces with different techniques and ideas. Once I can finally get the idea out of my head and looking something like I wanted I will then try a larger piece building the work through layers of glass, using coloured frits, enamels, and textures
The glass is then fired in a kiln, where it transforms from solid to liquid and back again — a process that introduces an element of unpredictability. I often describe it as the glass going on its own journey. No two pieces are ever the same, which is part of the magic.
You’ve created glassworks for clients across the world — what is the most ‘out there’ commission you’ve created?
I’ve worked on a wide range of commissions, for some beautiful homes here in Cornwall to private outdoor BBQ areas in Portugal and work for cruise ships, I’m currently working on another cruise ship, designing schemes for 4 stair wells which will be 3.9m. I love the idea of my work sailing around the Caribbean seas with people who enjoying time with loved ones and creating amazing memories. I love pushing the scale and depth of glass — creating pieces that feel immersive and almost alive.
What influence do you take from the coast and nature?
Its funny I almost don’t think about it. It’s part of every day there from walking to work to evening walks to time off wing foiling or surfing. Its cheesy but its just part of me, the heart of everything I do. My work explores the colour, rhythm, and feel movement of the sea — from dramatic crashing waves to the quiet elegance of marine life like jellyfish and seahorses. I’m constantly observing how light moves through water and trying to capture that same sense of depth and fluidity in glass. All my waves are mounted so that they catch the light cast a reflection and change with the light throughout the day just as the ocean does.
What is your relationship with the Cornwall coast?
Cornwall has shaped my life in every sense. I grew up in Africa where being on the beach or in a pool were almost daily occurrences I already loved the water. Then moving to Cornwall at the age of nine, the coastline here became my playground — surfing, kitesurfing, and eventually even setting a world record kitesurfing from Cornwall to Ireland.
There is nothing so relaxing as standing on the headland, being able to see all the way to the horizon whether on a sunny or storming day its energizing.
It’s not just inspiration.
How important is the Coast Path to you?
The Coast Path offers a unique way to experience the landscape — to really see the shifts in light, and weather, and wildlife. Watching the squalls coming in , the tide coming in and out It’s a place of constant inspiration, where ideas often begin whether through seeing something or just having the mental breathing space to think and relax letting ideas form. Walking it allows me to slow down, observe, and reconnect with the elements.
What’s your favourite section of the Coast Path?
The stretch from Porth headland to Watergate Bay is extremely special for me. Not so much because it’s beautiful, even though it really is, especially when the thrift is out — but because of moments, memories. Running and walks with both my dogs who have passed away. Walks with my now husband sitting on the end of the headland talking about our future. Looking at Watergate Bay coming into view where I spend my teenage years, learning to surf, kitesurf, watching the eclipse, getting married, setting a world record as well as picking up quite a few scars to name just a few moments that make me smile every time I am there.
How important is being part of Cornwall Open Studios to you?
Being part of Cornwall Open Studios is incredibly important. It’s a chance to open up my studio, share my process, and connect directly with people who are interested in the work.
It also places me within a wider creative community — a network of artists and makers across Cornwall. That sense of collaboration and shared creativity is something I really value and are continuing to try and create at our new home , “The Levels“, where we offer studio and retail spaces to over 16 other makers and artists. It helps keep the artistic scene here vibrant and accessible and I feel by taking part it also supports all the other artists here in Cornwall
Artist Bio – Dreya Bennett (née Wharry)
Born in Africa and raised in the surf, Dreya Bennett’s life has always been intertwined with water. She spent her early years in Lagos before her family relocated to Cornwall when she was nine — a move that cemented her lifelong relationship with the coast and its ever-changing moods.
From surfing in her teens to competing at the highest levels of kitesurfing, Dreya has always led a life of movement and fluidity. During her competitive years, she established one of the UK’s early kite schools, competed on the world circuit (reaching a world rank of 3rd), and under her maiden name Wharry, once set a world record by kitesurfing from Cornwall to Ireland —
Not one to be constrained by a single path, Dreya’s past also includes high-octane experiences as a competitor on Gladiators (where she earned the nickname “Dreya the Slayer”) and a cameo in the surf film Blue Juice alongside Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ewan McGregor. As well as time spent as a wingwalker for the Crunchie Flying Circus
While pursuing art studies at Falmouth, Dreya serendipitously encountered glass through her landlady . Enchanted by its translucent beauty, she later formalised her craft through a degree in Architectural Stained Glass at Swansea.
After stepping away from competitive sport, Dreya returned to her old fascination: glass. She now works from her studio in Newquay, Cornwall, producing fused glass wall hangings and bespoke commissions that echo the ocean’s energy. Her pieces — explore themes of light, reflection and transparency.
Dreya’s vision is rooted in the synergy between glass and water.
“The ocean is all-encompassing; its colour, sounds and smell; its reflections, translucent quality and constant movement can hold your attention like nothing else … glass is a liquid, an incredibly slow-moving liquid, but a liquid nonetheless.”
Her work has been featured in residencies where she experiments with new processes, intimately connecting her art with the shoreline’s forms and textures.
Today, Dreya Bennett continues to push the boundaries of glass art, transforming its fragility into a medium of strength, emotion, and storytelling — forever anchored in her love for the sea.
Visit Dreya during Cornwall Open Studios, 23 – 31 May ’26
Follow Dreya on Instagram
View Dreya’s website https://www.dreya.co.uk
The South West Coast Path 