Glass Sculptures

Glass is a very beautiful medium to work in, glass sculptures or studio glasses are some of the most stunning pieces and this makes them hugely popular pieces for investment. The range of colours, shapes and sizes that can be made help make this material one of the most saleable. There are several methods for working in glass they include the most common and well known method of glass blowing, kiln-casting, cold working which is carried out at room temperature, fusing, hot-sculpting, flame working, slumping and pate-de-verre.

Glass Blowing

Glass blowing is a technique that sees the artist inflating molten glass into a bubble using a long pipe.

Kiln-Casting

Kiln-Casting is a process that has been used since the Egyptian’s and involves directing molten glass into a mould that then sets to form the final piece. This process can link directly to bronze casting as you can use the ‘lost wax’ method for making the mould for glass  casting too.

Fusing

This process is a layering method, pieces of glass that are different shapes or colours are layered to form a shape, pattern or image which is then placed in a kiln and taken through a series of ramps and soaks until the individual sheets start to bond together to make the designed piece. This process can take up to 10-12 hours.

Flame working

Flame working is commonly known as lampworking or torch working; it is the process of working with molten glass by blowing and using tools to hand work the glass while it is malleable. Flame working is normally used for making glass beads as you have the chance to form shapes, add colour and mould the glass as you work rather than waiting for a mould to fire and set and facing the end results.

Slumping

Slumping is the method that uses a mould but not for casting, the glass is placed over the top of the mould and when heated the glass slumps using gravity into the mould and this sets to form the final product. The process is dependent on good ventilation due to the release agent, which is toxic when heated, that must be used to get the glass off the mould at the end of the process and the type of glass being used must be CoE glass so it doesn’t fracture during the method. CoE glass is Co Efficient of Expansion.

Pate-de-verre

Pate-de-verre is a technique created in France, it involves a paste of crushed glass and enamel paint being spread over a mould and then fired, and it is considered a form of glass casting. The advantage to using this process is that it allows specific colours to be applied to chosen sections or details in the mould giving the artist more room to be creative.