Glass! It fires the imagination!

     After years of working in stained glass, fused glass is the form of glasswork that I’m now most enthused about.

In the kiln hard, brittle, pieces of glass, frit and rod are transformed into a viscous, malleable, “liquid.”  Through the process of controlled heating to high temperatures; then soaking, annealing, cooling, your creation becomes a piece of fused glass.

     I start the process of producing a fused piece, a decorative dish, let’s say, at my workbench surrounded by beautiful glass and my slumping molds.  Color schemes, patterns, geometric and curves all come to mind as I start cutting my glass and laying the pieces out on a blank that I’ve cut to the shape of the mold in which the fused piece will eventually be slumped.

     Though the artistic design and construction is an important first step, it’s arguably not the most important to a successful piece.  To obtain a good result you must consider a few important factors.   It’s necessary to use compatible glasses which expand and contract at the same rate during the heating/cooling process to prevent cracking and breaking.  It’s also necessary to control the kiln’s firing cycle taking into account the quantity and size of glass used in the piece, the type of glass, and the different phases of heating and cooling.

     Once the piece is fused -- a process that takes approximately 10 hours in the kiln -- the piece is put on the mold and fired once again.  This time a heating and cooling schedule for slumping is followed and takes approximately 12 hours in the kiln.

     And oh what fun it is to open that kiln door and see all that lovely glass in its new form!