Collection: Guido van Besouw

At the age of 26, Guido van Besouw began his career in the arts when he was given the opportunity to serve as an apprentice for renowned stained glass artist Anton Voorveld in 1977.

As a full-time glass artist, Guido began working on a set of windows and skylights for the Royal Hotel grill room in Durban in 1980. He was invited to a group glass art exhibition at the NSA gallery in 1984 and was inspired by the potential of this artistic medium after seeing blown glass by Shirley Cloete, David Reade, and Barry Thompson.

Ten years later, in 1994, he began exploring the potential of glass blowing and looking into the possibility of creating his own glass for stained glass windows. By 1996 he had built a furnace, acquired kilns, and most of the equipment required to blow glass . Early in 1997, Guido began producing glass on his own and gained experience as he went.

Guido has mastered the craft of hand blowing glass and is regarded as one of South Africa's top glassblowers. He has an Elle Deco International Design Award that he won in 2003. Having worked with glass for thirty years, he is familiar with the material and its possibilities, and possesses a special talent for balancing and matching colour. He finds inspiration in both the natural world and his extensive background in the design of stained glass windows.

Guido works from his studio set amongst the green hills of  Assagay, Kwa-Zulu Natal, near The Valley of a Thousand Hills. He creates individual works of art from the liquid glass that is created when fire and sand meet. The glass comes out of the annealing kiln three days later in all of its splendor, reflecting the hues of fire, sky, earth, and water.

Some of his commissioned pieces have adorned Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban and Luanda International Airports, The Blue Waters Hotel and The Royal Hotel in Durban. Various dignitaries from South Africa have given many of his glass artworks as official diplomatic gifts. His work can also be found decorating many game lodges in and around Southern Africa. There are over 400 stained glass windows that he has designed and made in churches, schools, country clubs, civic buildings and private homes in South Africa.