Originally from Germany, Heike Brachlow studied glass in the UK, eventually gaining a PhD focused on colour in glass. She works as a self-employed artist from her studio in Cumbria, England, and as a tutor at the Royal College of Art in London. She exhibits and teaches internationally, has won a number of awards and is represented in many collections including the V&A, the European Museum of Modern Glass and the Museum of Glass in Tacoma, Wash.