Gordon Hendry
Gordon Hendry grew up in Wick not far from the original Caithness Glass factory. At school he found that he had an aptitude for art and, on the advice of one of his teachers, went to visit the Caithness Factory where they were seeking to employ an apprentice engraver. Gordon's application was successful and in 1975, he began his career with Caithness Glass.
Gordon found that engraving came naturally to him and he enjoyed it so much that he would quite often work on past the end of the working day.
In 1980, Gordon's first design credit came with a paperweight called 'The Year of the Viking' which had been commissioned by Peter Jones China Ltd. In 1982 Gordon left Caithness Glass to attend Art College in Dundee where he stayed for 4 years. When he graduated he continued with his art study at St Martins School of Art in London for a further 2 years. During this time he began illustrating magazines and books. "; Much of my work was commissioned by DC Thomson and Oxford University Press." Gordon recalls, "; At one stage I estimate that I was producing about one thousand illustrations in a single year". Having considerably broadened his design skills, Gordon returned to Caithness Glass in 1995.
Gordon initially used his design skills to create stunning artglass ranges but in 2004 he turned his hand to paperweight designing and his first designs, launched in July 2004, proved highly popular with collectors. Designs such as his Sherlock Holmes Collection and Hits of the '60s Collection, have ensured Gordon's continued success as a Caithness Glass Designer.
