Art Glass

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Art Glass

Art Glass In The News

Using Decorative Art Glass In Your Home

The terminology used for art glass is so numerous and perplexing that I threw a ringer right into the title. For instance, mica isn’t glass at all (as most of us learned in science class). Rather, mica’s a mineral that flakes nicely into translucent sheets. Thus many find it ideal for use in making lamp shades, such as the famous “coolie” shades made by Dirk van Erp.

Although you can safely use the general term “art glass” to refer to most kinds of decorative glass, including that in period lighting, windows, doors, or hand-blown vases, it’s best to learn more accurate and specific terms. First let’s start with a tough one: the difference between stained and leaded glass. In European cathedral windows of centuries past, the stain glass is actually colored glass, which has been painted with vitreous oxides and then fired, with or without the application of silver nitrate. What makes this stain glass leaded is that individual pieces of the composition are held together with lead cames, which are easily recognizable as the rib-like dark material between the bits of light-filled glass.

Luckily, things are much simpler these days. Those who use the term “stained glass” today are simply referring to any window with colored glass. If a clear glass window is leaded, it’s just simply call “leaded.”

Artisans use minerals to give colored glass its tint. But not all stained glass is transparent. Translucent stained glassed are most commonly known as “opalescent.” Yet what is considered to be opalescent glass isn’t transparent; rather it’s milky. Also, this type of glass can have more than one color in a sheet. Tiffany windows are a noteworthy example of opalescent glass.

{Another notable example of this is the windows by Greene & Greene, who layered their glass the same way as Tiffany, but they used copper foil and lead overlay to enhance the dimensional quality of their compositions.} Greene & Greene’s glass is actually very common. Since it’s iridized on one surface, it has the appearance of a rainbow. Frank Lloyd Wright and Tiffany have both used this same glass.

Tiffany called its version of this shimmering opalescent glass Favrile and had the name trademarked in 1894. This iridescent glass is truly remarkable, as it appears to change colors when viewed from various angles. Although iridized glass was produced and marketed by many other companies, none used the name Favrile.

So we’ve gone through mica, stained glass, leaded glass, opalescent, iridescent, and Favrile—now what exactly are slag and slumped? Slag glass refers to the sheets of opalescent glass used in Arts and Crafts light fixtures. (The word “slag” actually comes from the undocumented belief that the glass got its color from slag from iron smelting works.) The term slumped glass refers to glass that’s been fired in the kiln to make it curve. Glass shades are first “slumped” over a bowl, and then sometimes the glass artists will actually climb into the kiln while the glass is still hot to manipulate the shape of the shade. Using this technique, a glass artist can create effects ranging from delicately folded glass in tulip-like shades, to futuristic shapes, perhaps resembling a translucent article marshmallow after a swipe through the campfire.

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Questions about Art Glass

Where can i learn how to blow glass in california?

Ive heard you need to find someone who already know the art pretty well and apprentice for them, but what about schools? are there any colleges/universities that are well known for their art/glass programs?

If you are talking furnace glass (not torch art work or pipes) there are a number of college programs in California. Glass is part of 3D (sculpture) art programs. Check out Steinert (www.steinertindustries.com) and the Glass Art Society http://www.glassart.org/ for lists. Apprentice opportunities are not common and are certainly not paid in the way a formal program in carpentry, plumbing, etc., might be.
Most glass artists I am familiar with had college training not just on the job.

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