Peter Bowles
Peter Bowles is an internationally recognized Australian glass artist whose practice spans more than four decades of technical innovation, material research, and sculptural inquiry. His work encompasses contemporary sculpture, studio glass, and public art, distinguished by an exceptional command of glassmaking and a sustained investigation into light, optical perception, and the expressive possibilities of the medium.
Central to Bowles's practice is an exploration of glass chemistry and the complex relationship between transparency, translucency, and opacity. Drawing upon historical glassmaking knowledge, including eighteenth-century formulations from the Stourbridge glassmaking tradition in England, he has developed specialized glass compositions that allow for precise control of color, light transmission, and surface. His technically demanding works are characterized by a remarkable visual restraint, revealing the complexity of their construction through subtle optical effects and carefully considered form.
In 2026, Bowles was awarded the 2025 Tom Malone Glass Art Prize for Quiescent Object: Kepler-186F, recognizing his innovative research into glass composition and his mastery of sculptural form. The award represents a significant achievement in a career distinguished by experimentation and contributions to contemporary glass practice.
Based in northern Tasmania, Bowles is co-founder of Glass Manifesto, the internationally recognized glass studio and gallery established with fellow artist Anne Clifton. Their partnership brings together two accomplished artistic practices, grounded in a shared commitment to technical excellence, experimentation, and the continued development of glass as a sculptural medium.
Bowles has exhibited, researched, lectured, and taught throughout Australia, Europe, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, and Asia. His work has received recognition through major Australian glass awards, and he has contributed to the field through educational appointments, professional advisory boards, and arts organizations.
Born in Birmingham, England, in 1968, Bowles studied Glass Design at Stourbridge College of Technology and Art from 1987 to 1989. He subsequently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Visual Arts in 1999 and a Master of Arts in Visual Art in 2000, both at Curtin University in Western Australia.