Concepts and inspiration for my designs come from many sources. Once I
have an idea in mind, I sketch my designs on paper. These sketches become patterns which
are used to cut the actual glass sheets. They also allow me to make
limited editions of the pieces you see on this site. There will
always be some differences due to slight color variations of different sheets of
glass, but the layout of the design is accurately repeated from piece to piece.
My designs are cut from flat sheets of hand-rolled glass specially made for
fusing. The raw glass is typically about 20 by 34 inches in size and
weighs about 7 pounds. Some of my designs are accented with iridescent, opalescent, or dichroic glass.
The glass used has been tested by the manufacturer to insure that the thermal expansion
of the various colors is matched or "compatible", to prevent cracking during the temperature cycles of
the process.
After the various cut pieces are assembled
into the design, they are fused together in
an electric kiln, at temperatures ranging from 1350 to 1500 F. I have
three different sizes of kilns, depending upon the dimensions of the work.
The kilns are computer controlled, so that I can accurately reproduce the
heating profile from run to run. The kilns are able to maintain a
deviation of less than 5 F over the entire firing cycle.
After cooling, if the piece is
to be shaped into a form, it must go through a second firing or "slump".
The flat fused pieces are placed over ceramic molds which will give each
piece its final form. The second kiln firing slumps the flat glass into the
molds at a temperature of 1300 F. For most of my pieces, I make the
ceramic molds, allowing me to develop my unique shapes.
A final annealing removes any residual strains in the glass,
making the pieces durable. This is done by allowing the pieces to cool
slowly from 1000 to 950 F at the end of the slump firing.
Slight imperfections and
wrinkles in the glass are characteristics of the hand-rolled process. Tiny air
bubbles or “seeds” are created as the molten glass fuses together creating a
unique pattern. No two pieces are exactly alike. All of the glass I
use is
lead-free. Hand-washing is recommended. Each piece is signed by the artist.
