Nichola

We were doing this awful still life, an arrangement of crockery and lemons on a chequered tablecloth, and one chap kept walking back and forth to inspect it and stumbling into my easel. I was so irritated that I muttered to my pal that I was going to have to move. He must have heard, because he said he was really sorry and offered to buy me a coffee.

Then, in the way 19-year-olds do, we became so absorbed in our conversation over coffee that we never went back to class. Immediately in love, I suppose. I could just see that he was the most fantastic person. Very good at talking to women, having grown up in a house with his mother and sister.

Brodie’s mother is Lynda Usher, the knitwear designer. In fact, by strange coincidence, my mum had met her that summer already. She’d been on holiday in the Highlands and had bought me a present: “a beautiful knitted jacket from this amazing woman whose son, you’ll never believe, is starting at Gray’s in three weeks as well”.

It was only when I went to art school wearing the jacket and Brodie recognised it that we realised he was the son in question.

At that time I wanted to be a painter and he wanted to be a graphic designer, but it was a summer job that got him interested in glass. He was lampworking — you know, those funny little glass animals — and the people who ran the place saw he had talent and suggested he do a course.

I was fascinated by the idea of painting onto glass; Brodie was more into blowing it. Glass is not just about the aesthetics. It has to feel good, weigh nicely, handle well, and all these things must be achieved in such a short space of time. You can’t rub out once you’ve started.

Brodie and I have continued to do our own artworks, but it’s quite rare for a glassmaker to work alone. You need two people: one blowing, the other adding colour, forming the glass as it is created, reheating meltpoints, and all at 1,000C.

Brodie’s the better blower of the two of us. He’s very good with line and form, it wouldn’t make sense not to take advantage of that. If anything, that characterises the relationship as well. He’s very easy in his skin, not afraid to be funny and to have people warm to him, whereas I’m a little more reserved. Put us together, though, we’re a team in every meaningful way.

Brodie

We were young when we met and settled down quickly, but what can you do about love at first sight? After we left art school we were quite ambitious about who we wanted to work for. We served our apprenticeships all over Europe, developing our own styles of glassmaking.

So although we were together as a couple, we had our own friends and only saw each other every few weeks, which was probably quite healthy. Certainly I remember being absolutely desperate to see her and catch up. After eight or nine years of living on the continent, it made sense to come home and be together permanently.

I’m from the Highlands — Invermoriston on the shores of Loch Ness — and Nicky’s from outside Strathaven. We’re now in Tain. I’ve a fond affection for the east coast of Scotland — no midges, for a start — and there’s a very good weather front here. It’s exciting to be back. It still feels new to us both.

Nicky’s cool, calm and collected. Without wishing to sound too contrived, she’s the water, I’m the fire. She’s definitely my best friend, lover, business partner all rolled into one. We’re lucky, we’ve always been happy together and attracted to each other.

We met as kids and now we’re adults, so our tastes have grown up as well. There’s a great comfort in that relationship and I look forward to growing older with Nicky to find out what we will become next.

She’s very pretty, very elegant, very talented. I wake up in the morning next to her and think I’m the luckiest guy in the world.

I love her work, it’s very different from mine. Mine is very simple, hers is very exciting, earthy colours. At the moment it’s influenced by African jewellery that she has collected over the years, with a sense of basic-ness combined with detail and craftsmanship.

We were supposed to be getting married this year, but haven’t quite organised things yet. We’ve been together a long time and will be together for more, so it feels right to consecrate that in some way. Mention a wedding, however, and it’s like poking a stick in an anthill. Suddenly lots of people were involved, lots of ideas offered and we’ve retreated a little, I think.

We’ll get round to it at some point soon. Until then, I just say I’m busy searching on the internet for an albino unicorn for my bride Nicky to ride in on.

Article can also be found on the TimesonLine -http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/relationships/article4405892.ece