Tomorrow, Saturday 28th February, you will find us over on the Isle of Man at the lovely Genesis Gallery, launching a House of Ugly Fish exhibition. There will also be a chance to meet our talented fused glass artist Lisa! House of Ugly Fish actually has a connection to the Isle of Man as Lisa’s Dad was actually born there in the island’s capital; Douglas.

The wonderful Genesis Gallery mostly buys its art from DeMontfort, a UK-based dealer with around 85 UK and international artists on its books. The most well-known artists on display in the gallery include Fabian Perez, Doug Hyde and Sherree Valentine Daines. And now our fused glass art will be showcased there!

The Isle of Man has such great history and mythology tied to it. There’s an old Irish story that tells how the island was formed. Legendary giant Fionn mac Cumhail supposedly ripped a chunk out of Ireland and threw it towards Scotland, aiming for a Scottish rival, he missed and the piece of land ended up in the sea, thus creating the island AND Lough Neagh (the biggest lake in Ireland).

It’s a fascinating place and in Manx mythology (Manx being the original language; a branch of the Gaelic languages) the island was ruled by a Celtic sea god who was able to draw his misty cloak around the island to protect it from any invaders. Other stories of mythical creatures and beings litter the folklore and include a ghostly black dog, Moddey Dhoo, who used to wander the corridors of Peel Castle.

Fairies are also said to live on the island, occupying the famous Fairy Bridge where it’s bad luck to walk across without wishing the fairies a good morning or afternoon! We’ll be sure to do just that whilst we’re there this weekend. We might even pick up some inspiration for some fused glass art designs! Watch this space for islands, dogs, fairies and giants!