FOR fused glass creator Deborah Moses, art and music are two sides of the same coin.

And if you ever visit the celebrated artist at her farm-based studio in Wimboldsley, the one thing you won’t experience is silence.

“There’s not a day goes by without music when I’m working,” says Deborah, whose stunning glass installations are much prized by interior designers and celebrities.

“David Bowie was an absolute idol and continues to inspire me – you’ll find lots of references to him in my work if you look closely. But I adore all kinds of music. You’re as likely to find me listening to The Killers or Paloma Faith as you are Andreas Bocelli.”

Indeed, music has influenced much of Deborah’s creative life.

She named her studio The Silver Zebra as a reference to lyrics in T-Rex’s 1968 single Debora.

“There’s a line that Marc Bolan sings which is ‘Oh Debora, always look like a zebra’, so ‘Zebra’ became a nickname for me when I was growing up.

“The silver part in the name comes from the fact I’m also a silversmith and I use this precious metal as a second discipline in my kiln-formed glass.”

The 51-year-old believes much of her success today is due to her unconventional course into the art world, reflective of her musical roots as a teenager.

“I didn’t come from a classical art background,” she says. “Growing up I was always very creative, but I didn’t pursue that route. The creative industries weren’t as accessible

as they are today."

“I was a punk as a teenager and punk wasn’t about doing things in a traditional way. It was about trying new things, seeing what happened, creating something exciting and vibrant.

“So I think that because I was never put in that ‘box’ while I was growing up I’ve been able to navigate around it.”

Deborah first trained as a classical chef, working in high-end hotels and for wealthy private clients, something she adored.

By 2002, she decided to swap her chef’s whites for an artist’s apron so that she could spend more time with her husband Stephen, a farmer, and their children Emma and Liam.

With a family connection to her chosen medium – her father worked for Pilkington before running his own window company, and restored church windows – it seems glass was in her blood.

“I started out on a really small scale, making beads and pieces of jewellery and I was successful with that but it was so frustrating,” she says.

“I knew I wanted to go bigger. I knew that I could do bigger.”

And so bigger she went. Today, Deborah is known for her incredible handmade glass installations.

Her expertise in kiln-formed glass, etching and engraving and the delicate art of Verre Églomisé are internationally renowned.

Over the years she’s been commissioned by former Take That star Robbie Williams to create the Soccer Aid award trophy, has made glass sculptures for the Gleneagles golf course, and worked alongside interior designers in Dubai and Mayfair, providing bespoke wall panels and sculptures for wealthy clients.

Cheshire East Council commissioned her as the 2016 Tour of Britain artist installing bicycle/glass sculptures around the county with the main construction of work spanning over five square metres in residence at Tatton Park, Knutsford.

She welcomes scores of students to The Silver Zebra studio where she shares her expertise in glass design techniques.

Her pupils come from all over the UK and as far afield as France, South Africa and New Zealand, and as part of their experience are treated to a special lunch cooked by Deborah herself.

Given that her love of music has been a constant throughout her career, it’s fitting that today her work is also resident in the lifestyle store Bang and Olufsen Wilmslow, a company famous for its passion for technology, design and sound – a prefect partnership.

When describing her personal style, it’s no surprise to hear her reference musicians.

Like them, her portfolio of work evolves and to the unknowing eye can be mistaken for more than one artist.

For Deborah, that is something of which to be proud. The art of reinvention is strong with her and with musicians she loves.

With a studio on a farm, she also draws inspiration from nature. Indeed, it is hard not to.

“A huge part of what I do is inspired by nature and in Cheshire there’s no getting away from that – it’s all around me, especially as my studio is on a farm,” she says.

“But then there’s the juxtaposition with music. Music is always different and so is art.

“I like to make people wonder what I’m going to do next. With some musicians or bands, you know exactly what you’re going to get and that’s great.

“Then with others, like Bowie or Lady Gaga, you don’t know how they will reinvent themselves and that’s what keeps things interesting. I like to keep people guessing.”

It’s perhaps unsurprising that when asked to highlight a favourite piece of her work, Deborah reaches an eclectic decision.

“It’s hard to choose the ‘favourites’ or the ‘biggest’ pieces of my work as they all hold different meanings to me, but Manchester IVF Hospital commissioned the largest body

of work I have produced, in fact 18 installations in total,” she says.

“Commissions are always exciting to work on, from bespoke awards like Robbie Williams’ Soccer Aid trophy to personal pieces delivered by hand travelling First Class to a London

Mayfair client when even the sculpture had its own seat!”

Deborah is currently creating a large format mixed media painting for James Lawrenson Interiors, as well as a gold leaf embellished vessel for a Harrogate-based client.

But as for what’s next, that’s a new song to be waiting to be written. To quote her favourite musician David Bowie: “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.”