Not far from where the snaking coastline meets the churning Atlantic, resides an artist whose journey mirrors the ebb and flow of the sea. Words by Jamie Crocker/Images by Layton Bennett
Dreya Bennett, a name synonymous with both adrenaline-fueled exploits and delicate artistry, has transitioned from conquering waves to capturing their essence in glass, crafting pieces that pulse with the energy and movement of the sea.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Dreya spent her early years by the water, steeped in the warmth of African tides before moving to Cornwall at the age of nine. The Cornish coastline, wild and unpredictable, became both playground and muse, shaping a lifelong fascination with the sea. It was here, riding the rolling waves, that she developed an affinity for the ocean, first through surfing and later via the emerging sport of kitesurfing. Drawn to its exhilarating freedom, she became a pioneer, establishing one of the UK’s first kitesurfing schools and competing on the world circuit. At the peak of her career, she ranked third globally, a testament to her skill and determination. In 2002, she cemented her reputation for audacity by kitesurfing solo from Cornwall to Ireland, an extraordinary feat completed in just over eight hours. Alongside this, she embraced another kind of high-adrenaline challenge, taking on the fiercely competitive world of television’s Gladiators. Competing against 24,600 hopefuls, she not only secured a place but won the 1996 championship, earning the moniker “Dreya the Slayer.” A multiple contender, she later triumphed in the 1997 Springbok Challenge and was runner-up in the 1999 Supreme Championship series, facing off against some of the show’s most formidable names, including Lightning, Zodiac, Wolf and Hunter. These experiences, shaped by wind, water, and the physical limits of endurance, would later find their way into her art, influencing both her aesthetic and her approach to working with glass.
It was almost by accident that she discovered her passion for glass. While studying at Falmouth Art College, she lived with a landlady who introduced her to the medium, an encounter that would alter the course of her career. She describes an immediate connection: “Its colour, its reflections, and its translucent quality instantly captured my heart. To me, it has a similar quality to water. It is enigmatic; you can look at it, or through it.” From that moment, the allure of glass was undeniable. She pursued this fascination at Swansea University, specialising in Architectural Stained Glass, but it wasn’t until she stepped away from competitive sport that she fully committed to the medium.
LEFT: The sea’s movement, held in glass RIGHT: Light, colour and movement – Dreya’s signature wave
The sea, ever present in her life, became the foundation of her artistic expression. Her studio in Newquay is a space where the energy of the ocean is transformed into solid form, each piece capturing the fluidity and light of moving water. Visitors to the studio witness the intricate, painstaking process of fused glass art – layers cut, composed and placed into the kiln, where heat and time shape the final piece. No two firings are the same, and the element of chance is embraced. Sometimes, pieces shift in unexpected ways, but rather than considering these deviations mistakes, Dreya views them as opportunities, happy accidents that lend the work its own unique character.
One of the defining features of her work is the way she captures the sea’s mood and movement. Rather than defaulting to conventional blues, she starts with clear glass, manipulating layers to create the impression of depth, shadow, and light. “Water isn’t blue; it’s due to the reflection of the sky,” she explains. “So, by starting with clear glass, you change the mood of a wave.” This understanding of how light interacts with her medium allows her to create pieces that feel alive, constantly shifting depending on the angle and intensity of the surrounding light.
Her studio is not a solitary endeavour. Working with her small team, Ali and Lindsey, she balances the creative and logistical demands of the business, from crafting large commissions to managing orders and framing. Collaboration plays a key role in the rhythm of her work, and as she prepares to move into a larger space in Newquay, the scope of her practice continues to evolve. The new premises will bring together her gallery and studio, allowing visitors to engage more deeply with the process behind each creation. It will also provide space for workshops, an aspect of her work that she finds particularly rewarding. Teaching introduces an element of unpredictability; when students arrive with their own ideas, it pushes her to think differently, reminding her of the excitement of her early years in art college.
Dreya’s work has reached audiences far beyond Cornwall, with pieces collected internationally and commissions appearing in prestigious settings. In 2023, she was approached to create three large glass installations for the Royal Caribbean ship, Utopia of the Seas, a project that saw her work displayed on a grand scale, translating the motion and energy of the sea into towering forms of fused glass. Currently, she is working on a large-scale installation for a luxury home in Sandbanks, a four-storey piece that will take a year to complete. This ability to scale up, to move from intimate works to architectural statements, speaks to the versatility of her approach and the deep understanding she has developed of her medium.
Drawing inspiration from Cornwall’s raw edges during her time as artist in residence at the Watergate Bay Hotel
Looking back on the trajectory of her career, she acknowledges that her path has been anything but conventional. From professional athlete to acclaimed glass artist, the shift may seem dramatic, but to Dreya, it was a natural progression, one shaped by instinct and an enduring connection to the sea. “From the very start, I knew a traditional path in life wasn’t for me,” she reflects. “I trusted my instincts, turning my passions into my work.” It is this same instinct that continues to guide her, whether navigating the forces of wind and water or the unpredictable alchemy of molten glass.
Dreya remains deeply engaged in her practice, drawing fresh inspiration from the changing moods of the Atlantic. The act of creation, like the ocean itself, is never static, and she thrives in that space between control and surrender, between the known and the unpredictable. For those who encounter her work, whether in her Newquay studio or in the grand stairwells of a cruise ship, there is a sense of something fluid, something vital, something caught between one state and the next. She continues to explore the possibilities of her medium, always searching for new ways to translate the ephemeral beauty of the sea into something tangible, something luminous and enduring.