Fused glass is the most amazing artistic process I have ever come across. It is a mixture of art and science and is extremely challenging. While stained glass, blown glass and cast glass have been around for many centuries, fused glass is a newer process full of experimentation. It only became a method about 30 years ago. I have been working with it for 17 years and for the last two and a half I have been studying under glass maestro Narcissus Quagliata, who is an originator of kiln formed glass and responsible for many of the techniques and processes in use today. I have witnessed, and am thrilled to be part of, the evolution of fused glass as an artistic medium.
The glass I use is created at the Bullseye Glass factory in Portland, Oregon from silica (sand) mixed with minerals to add color. It comes in many different forms such as glass sheets, crushed glass called "frit", powdered glass and rods. It fires in my kiln at temperatures ranging from 1100 to 1750 degrees Fahrenheit. Certain colors react with each other due to different minerals touching, having different melting points or having different rates of expansion and contraction, so there are technical issues to confront while creating with this medium.
There are multiple methods for kiln forming glass that vary based on the speed of heating, what top temperature is reached and how long it is held there. Glass can be "full fused" until everything melts into a flat smooth even surface or it can be melted at lower temperatures and "contour fused" to retain texture. It can be gently moved or "slumped" over objects into a custom shape like a bowl or platter, or melted completely and "cast" into a mold.
There is a lot of knowledge and planning that must go into a complicated piece of fused glass. Many pieces are fired in multiple stages and built using premade parts that are joined together at the end. Bubbles are a normal part of fused glass and can be minimized or used to create movement and life in finished artwork. Some colors can be fired only two or three times and others can be fired in the kiln many more times, so project planning is essential.
With proper planning and technique, fused glass is an incredible medium for artists. It is amazing because it reflects light differently depending on location, time of day or if it's backlit with LED lighting. If glass isn't physically broken, it can last thousands of years without degradation.
Glass is made from white sand that contains 95 percent or higher quartz, then minerals are added for color. So I have to wonder if I am actually working with agate or stone and does it have energetic properties? How precious is that?