Studio Process
Our work encompasses many different glass processes. The glass melted in our studio is based on high grade silica sand, in combination with many other ingredients. Our forms are created in the “free blown” style, that is each piece is formed by hand without the use of molds or patterns.
Most of the imagery is formed by drawing directly on the hot glass with thin colored glass rods, known as “cane,” and a torch in a technique not unlike welding. The image is usually drawn while the bubble is small and than it expands as the piece is blown.
In the enamel painted pieces, the form is blown and cooled and decorated by brush with glass enamel in a liquid form. The piece is then reheated in a kiln and the enamel painting is fused into the surface of the glass.
Cast pieces originate in a clay or wax original that is invested in a plaster mold and later removed, leaving a negative form in the plaster. Cold glass ingots are then melted into the negative cavity, cooled, and the plaster mold is gently removed from the casting. This is known as a “waste mold” as each mold is good for only one casting. The finished piece is then cleaned and polished as needed.