GLASS ART

DEFINITIONS of GLASS SKILLS

HOT
Most people are familiar with the image of the glassblower at the furnace manipulating a gob of 'hot' glass. It is not difficult to understand why glassblowing is known as the 'Hot glass ' technique with all the heat surrounding this craft.
Temperature of glass approx 1,300°C.

COLD
On the opposite side of the coin is the stained glass artist, who usually works at room temperature fitting together pieces of coloured glass held together by lead came. This craft is commonly known as the 'Cold Glass' technique.
Obviously there are other cold working skills e.g. etching and sandblasting.

WARM
In between these two there are the Kiln workers, this is the type of glass work produced in my studio.
They work with glass at temperatures ranging from 590-900°C.

There are some glass artists who use a combination of all 3 of the above, but you'll have to use your imagination as they are too many and varied to mention them all here. I will concentrate on the main areas.

THREE MAIN AREAS OF 'WARM GLASS'

1.FUSING - Joining glass pieces together by melting them in a kiln.

2. SLUMPING - Shaping glass by heating it over or into a mould in
a kiln.

3.CASTING - Using kiln heat to melt glass inside a mould.

There are many variations and interpretations of these definitions, this is just a basic description

BRIEF HISTORY OF KILNFORMED GLASS

It is generally agreed that the Mesopotamians did the first fusing and casting in the 2nd millennium B.C.
Early warm glass processes evolved from ceramics/metalworking techniques.
Glass was classed as a precious material alongside gold and silver.
Next came the Egyptians, who by the later half of the 2nd millennium B.C. were proficient in both casting and fusing. They also developed the technique of working with glass rods (now known as lampworking).
Romans and Greeks adapted and improved on early techniques from the 3rd century B.C. till the birth of Christ.
The development of kiln forming was put on hold when a new approach - Glassblowing was developed by the Romans.
Blowing became popular due to its greater efficiency, repeatability and lower cost.
Warm glass techniques were forgotten until they were rediscovered in Europe during the 19th Century.
One of the first areas to be developed was the 'Pate de Verre' movement in France.
Henri Cros, Albert Dammouse and Gabriel Argy-Rousseau developed methods for casting with a paste made from small glass particles.
In the early 20th century The Studio Glass movement, led by Harvey Littleton and centered on blowing brought respectability to working with glass.
The Bullseye Glass Co. formed by 3 glassblowers, played a significant role in the development of 'Warm glass'. They led the first major research in the development of 'tested compatible' glass made specifically for fusing.
Today, after nearly 2 centuries of re-discovery, warm glass continues to develop and grow as a viable artistic discipline. The increasing availability of better materials and the continued experimentation of artists leaves warm glass poised for continuing growth during the 21st Century and beyond.

Glass Church in Jersey

The exterior of St Matthew's Church at Millbrook scarcely merits a second glance.

Its rectilinear structure and plain outside walls compare very poorly indeed with the rich, warm granite of most of the parish churches. Closer inspection, however, reveals that the drab shell of St Matthew's is there merely to protect an interior that is glorious in every respect.

The glass front doors are the first clue, but even these fail to prepare new visitors for what lies beyond them, namely the luminous creations of Rene Lalique which give St Matthew's its more popular name - the Glass Church.

Opalescent panels, a magnificent altar cross, a glass font - perhaps the only one to be found anywhere - the Jersey lily motif, and truly wonderful, perfectly angelic Art Deco angels make the church one of the Island's treasures.

Lalique, whose name remains synonymous with fine glasswork, made his name as a designer and maker of jewellery and objets d'art.

Fortunately for Jersey - and indeed the world - his house in the South of France was next to that of Florence Boot, Lady Trent, the widow of Jesse Boot, Baron Trent, the founder of Boot's the Chemists.

Lady Trent, whose principal residence was Villa Millbrook in Jersey, encouraged her artist and craftsman neighbour to design and then create new fixtures and fittings for the interior of St Matthew's, which lies just across the road from Villa Millbrook.

The refurbished church was to be dedicated to the memory of her illustrious husband.

Lalique, who began the work in 1932, needed little persuasion. He had wanted for some time to extend his repertoire into the architectural field. The peerless results of his endeavours, which were completed in 1934, are still there to be seen, and marvelled at, today.

Lalique, who was born in 1860 and died in 1945, was noted for the elegance of the forms he designed. Form is certainly important in the Glass Church, but much of the magic of the effect created there comes from the material chosen, verre blanc moule-presse.

This milky opaque glass makes light behave strangely, bathing the interior of the church in a soft, serene, ethereal glow entirely fitting for a place of reverence, worship and commemoration.

Although the Glass Church is most readily associated with the names of Lalique and his patron, Lady Trent, we should not forget that another important figure played a part in its design.

The Jersey architect A B Grayson is perhaps best known for his Art Deco private houses, many examples of which are still to be seen around the Island.

At St Matthew's his designs for the oak pews, the pulpit and the lectern complement the glass and make their own contribution to what can only be regarded as the Island's most remarkable piece of interior design.

This article first appeared in the Jersey Evening Post as part of the Pride in Jersey series, marking the Island's 1204-2004 celebrations.

By Kellie B. Gormly, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Hanging out in the garden Red House Communications
Garden gnomes
Red House Communication

Nearly 200 intricate, handmade glass creations from German artist Hans Godo Frabel will decorate the rooms of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens for the next eight months.
"Life in the Gardens: Frabel Glass at Phipps," which opens Wednesday at the Oakland conservatory, features 185 artsy glass pieces carved in shapes that often look convincingly like the real thing: for instance, frogs and lilies, officials say. Other shapes include whimsical clowns, flower goblets, humanistic vines, reptiles, geometric shapes and aliens. Visitors will love the exhibit, says Richard Piacentini, executive director of Phipps.

"I think they're going to have a lot of fun with it -- the figures and the characters, and the way they interact," he says. "It's just a fun exhibit; it's really exciting. ... These things actually look like they're real."

Frabel's glass comes from boron crystal, which has a more intricate look than the fluid appearance of blown glass. Frabel -- a native of Germany who now lives and works in Atlanta -- is known for pioneering the lampwork technique. This type of glasswork uses a gas-fueled torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and colored glass. Boron glass sculptures take several weeks to create, whereas blown-glass pieces can be completed in about an hour, Frabel says.

"Glass is a magical -- and at the same time, very difficult -- material," Frabel says in an e-mail interview. "The interesting thing of glass, especially clear glass, is that you do not really know what your sculpture is going to look like until you have finished it and see what effect you will get when the light hits it.

"Glass is just a magical medium -- the translucency, the way the sun 'plays' with the sculpture -- that always attracted me," he says.

Frabel, an avid gardener, says he is excited to display his work at Phipps, which he calls a good fit.

"Although it is nice to see your work in museums and galleries, it is always very exciting to me to display my work in a natural setting," he says. "I believe that both art and nature enhance each other and make for a great exhibition. For over 30 years, I have had several of my glass works in my own yard, really just to please myself."

Piacentini says the enormous success of the Dale Chihuly glass exhibit two years ago made Frabel's exhibit especially appealing. The Chihuly works were displayed at Phipps from May 2007 through February 2008, and drew more than 375,000 visitors from around the globe to Phipps, officials say.

"The Chihuly exhibit was an extraordinary experience for us at Phipps. It put Phipps on the map for a lot of people in Pittsburgh," Piacentini says. "We've been looking around for another exhibit that we think would be of great interest to the community.

"I think we learned something really important a couple of years ago -- that glass and plants in a garden are really an extraordinary experience," he says.

About the writer
Kellie B. Gormly can be reached via e-mail or at 412-320-7824.