The otherworldly creations of the Glass Mistress

‘I’m just a weird, kinky perv to be honest. I can’t help it,’ says the self-titled ‘glass mistress’ Grace Wardlaw, whose creations include mushroom-shaped butt plugs, claw nail attachments and tentacle chokers, disrupting notions of all the ways glass can be manipulated.

In 2020, Grace started a glass sex toy business, Peace Lily Toys, with her good friend and artist Claire Anderson.

Peace Lily Toys sells otherworldly dildos, plugs and claws, and debunks information about the toys (no, they can’t break inside of you).

Grace, based in Canada, became interested in glass as a child after seeing a glassblower working at Greenfield Village in Michigan. ‘I've wanted to be a glassblower ever since,’ she says.

Straight out of high school, she studied glass at Sheridan College. Her rise has been rapid ever since – her pieces have been commissioned for shoots and music videos, worn by the likes of Lil Nas X, Hunter Schafer, Rosaliá and Bjork.

‘Sex, sexuality, gender and the body have been a huge part of my life and therefore my work as well,’ says Grace.

Advice for those looking to get into glassblowing? Buying equipment secondhand, from small kilns to torches, and reading up on the internet to get you started. And then later to start exploring private or institutional glass studios and schools that offer classes.

‘Getting into glass can feel really inaccessible, but I’ve seen people dive in and make it happen,’ she says. ‘You just have to want it.’