Meet The Maker

Hello, I am Gisela Spallek, the face and maker behind A FIERY HEART. 

I found my passion for glass while working in a different career, on a different continent. It all began in 2003 with a voucher, a gift from my husband. He gave me the gift of time to attend a series of stained glass classes when our girls where very young, and it was almost impossible to carve out any “me-time” with no family to help around. Over the next 10 years, I discovered glass fusing and began to build my first product line, one step at the time, while running an IT consulting firm for healthcare professionals fulltime. 

It took a move to Australia and the recognition of Australia's love and support for handcrafted products to take the leap and become an artist full time. Since arriving on Gadigal Land in 2016, I have continuously developed my brand, A Fiery Heart, and strive to empower individual expression with distinct high-quality, well-crafted glass products that dance with the light.

Featuring a range of sculptures, homewares and jewellery that vividly reflect my passion for the process, my customers can expect bold palettes that play with colour and light, inspired by the organic forms of nature through to structured patterns of architecture.

All my pieces are designed, handmade and kiln-fired by myself in my studio in Sydney. I am taking on commissions and have presented my work at small local markets as well as big Australian design markets such as Finders Keepers, Makers and Shakers and handmade Canberra.

I am very lucky to have the full support of my family and often rely on the help of my now grown daughters, as both are becoming experts in their respective fields. Whether I am in need of a design critique, marketing assistant, model or sales rep, all I have to do is ask. And then, there’s Lilly, my everyday companion and distraction. She’s a mostly cute, sometimes annoying and often opinionated Parson Russel Terrier who follows me around all day.

 

Photo: My logo as a fused glass heart.