Archive for the 'decorative glass' Category
St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport Mural/Window
Guy Kemper, The Glass Artist of the Month says, “Glass is the best material in the world, there’s nothing better. I would take glass over any material, and there’s nothing more powerful.” Most regular viewers of CraftingGlass.com would agree as they love glass in all forms, as I do. Guy is a world recognized glass artist. He has works at the greater Orlando International Airport, St. Joseph’s chapel at Ground Zero in New York, the Baltimore Washington international Airport, and in our Lady In the Woods Chapel at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Some of the other acclaimed works of Guy Kemper are found in as diverse places as the Mount Baker train station in Seattle, the Dulles station office park in Herndon, Virginia, in Chicago O’Hare airport, and in the Public Cemetery Chapel, Engenhahn, Germany. Pictured just below are several of Guy’s lovely works mentioned previously.
Bellarmine Chapel
Ground Zero Window New York
Guy’s works are unique in several ways. He doesn’t use lead anymore in most of his creations so he doesn’t have to stay “inside the lines” as a typical stained glass artist would have to do. And Guy doesn’t normally use vitreous enamels which are special paints containing “frit” (powdered glass) in his works. Instead he uses multiple layers of flashed glass which is then often etched in designated areas to produce the desired effect. Since the color is actually glass instead of paint Guys work has all the richness and reflection of glass. As you know paint is duller than most colored glass. The individual glass creations are laminated or fused to a clear tempered glass base. This process eliminates the need to have a line of lead between the individual pieces as in most other stained glass works. Kemper’s works are awesome to view as many of them seem to move and change as the viewer moves about. This stunning effect is probably due to the interplay of light as it hits or passes through the different colored layers of the glass from different viewing angles.
Guy Kemper lives in central Kentucky and being from Kentucky has had a huge influence on his work. Guy says that many German artists settled in the river towns like Cincinnati, Louisville, Chicago, and St. Louis, after they immigrated to America 150 years ago. These glass artists make some of the finest American glass, probably the best stained glass, as that is the craft that most of them were trained in. Mr. Kemper says that Louisville especially has some of the best glass in the country. Guy lives in the Kentucky countryside near Lexington. He grew up in the city but he really loves the country. Guy says “I love Kentucky. I have traveled all over the world but I never would seriously consider living anywhere else”. In his art you can see the blues, greens, reds, and (picket fence) whites of the Blue Grass rural areas near Lexington where so many fine race horses are raised. (Article continued after two more pictures of Guy’s work).
Baker Train Station window, Seattle
Detail, Seattle window (“Seattle Sunrise”)
Much of Guy’s architectural work is too large to fabricate in his own shop so he has Derix Glasstudios in Germany make the glass from his drawings and paintings. Many consider Derix to be the best glass fabrication company in the world. After being commissioned to do the Orlando International Airport in 2000 he sought help as this was his largest work up to that time. He met Wilhelm Derix who offered some ideas and was very helpful. Apparently recognizing Guy’s artistic talent Wilhelm said “you really should just paint. Don’t even use your pencil; just start painting. And let me worry about how to make it”. Guy says that he took the advice, although not always 100% (as he still does some drawing and some glass work himself). It appears that they have worked together well over the years since then!
The window by Guy at Orlando International was unique in another way. It was a memorial to his late brother, Mark, who passed away shortly before he designed the window. Guy says that like flight, life has a transitory beauty uniquely its own. I believe that Guy wanted to celebrate the beauty of flight, and of life, in this lovely airport window. It is entitled So Long Bro. Many thousands of arriving and departing travelers are inspired by this work of glass art.
To see more of Guy’s work go to his web site at http://kemperstudio.com Be sure to watch the PBS documentary video featuring Guy Kemper’s work. It is about 8 minutes long but very impressive (well worth the short time spent watching it).
Important note: I receive no money or material benefit of any kind from featuring glass artists on my web site (CraftingGlass.com). My work here is purely “a labor of love” so to speak. I hope viewers (and artists) like this new feature of this site. If you are a glass artist of any kind, even if you are a relatively new artist, I would be glad to consider featuring you here. Just send pictures of some of your work and tell me a little about yourself. Jerry (Webmaster, Crafting Glass).
Another note: Here is a link to Derix Studios: http://www.derix.com/en/
Here is Guy’s Orlando International Airport Window:
An example of a lovely glass pendant
Just below this post is a new video that I think is one of the better ones I’ve seen on making jewelry using fused glass. It illustrates the basic technique without any spam or excess advertising to get in the way of the lesson. If you are a “newbie” to the glass arts then please pay special attention to the mention of “coefficient of expansion” (COE). This is important because all glass used in your project must be the same COE, such as 96 COE. If you don’t follow this rule you will likely have breakage problems at unpredictible times.
To do fusing work you will, of course, need to have a kiln to heat and “fuse” the glass objects. And, two final notes of caution, be careful to avoid looking into the kiln without kiln glasses (special safety glasses) and wear heat resistant gloves and/or use tongs when handling anything going into or out of the kiln.
Now enjoy the video below from RioGrande.com
Jerry (webmaster Crafting Glass)
For those who want to learn to etch lovely glass windows or glass objects I have added the three videos just below this post. Etching glass is perhaps one of the easier glass arts to learn, at least for the basics. But remember I didn’t say it is a snap! To be REALLY good at this art you have to be able to draw or paint a nice freehand picture or design (for the rest of us there are stencils). The chemical creams or chemical solutions used in etching are somewhat dangerous if used carelessly. Please, only adults should do this work. Wear rubber gloves and follow the directions carefully. The three videos below give only some of the basics in this craft technique. You will need to learn more, of course. One site that gives more instructions is http://www.glass-fusing-made-easy.com/how-to-etch-glass.html Another web site with more tips and instructions is http://www.etchworld.com/ccp0-display/ste_manuals.html
Here are some more web sites that show examples of beautiful glass art created by chemical etching or by sandblasting. Some of the glass objects also are created by glass carving and by etching. This technique, done by a master glass artist, results in a stunning piece of glass art!
There are other fine web pages, of course. Just search for etched glass artists. Now please view the videos (three) just below this post. I wish you much enjoyment and success!
Jerry (webmaster Crafting Glass)
What Is the Difference Between Stained Glass And “Painted Glass” (Or Is There Any Real Difference)?
The glass vase looked beautiful, I thought. I was at a flea market vendors booth years ago just looking at glassware to buy for my wife. At the time I was a real novice in glass (speaking broadly about all categories of glass knowledge, such as collecting, art glass, and glass crafting). I didn’t buy the vase right away but vowed to come back later to buy it unless I found “something better”. In talking to a friendly vendor at another booth I found out that a buyer must be cautious because some glassware items have the color painted on with a chemical solution which is then fired to make it “permanent” on the glass. This process is called “staining” the glass. I later found that some collectors, and even some dealers, call this technique “flashing” although that is not really the correct name. Whatever name it is called, the problem with glassware made by this technique is that the thin chemical coating (or “paint”) can wear off in time with a lot of handling and washing. Needless to say, I did not buy the vase that the first dealer had for sale! So keep in mind that when talking about collectible glass pieces, such as a vase, the techniques of Flashing, Casing, and Plating are separate layers of glass applied to the piece and that Stain is a painted on coating.
Now we will talk about Stained Glass Windows. They are a different animal from the collectible glass mentioned above! Stained glass windows have a history over a thousand years old! From what I can learn of the early times it appears that most of the medieval windows were made by painting a special mixture containing tiny glass particles (frit) over the desired piece of glass and then firing the glass and “paint” in a kiln to fix the painted design on to the glass piece. Most, but not all, modern stained glass windows are made with a different method. This later technique involves cutting a clear or colored glass to fit in a part of a pattern drawn on tracing paper or similar material. The glass piece is normally not painted. It is used “as is”. Its shape and color make it part of the design. The glass piece is then held in place in the window by lead or copper foil and solder. For a little more information look at my glossary terms below. The glossary for Crafting Glass may be found on the upper left side of this web page. Thanks for visiting, Jerry (webmaster, craftingglass.com)
STAINED GLASS – Commonly used to describe any colored flat glass or any object made of such glass joined by metal strips. The term originally applied to colored or clear flat glass cut to fit an artist’s design, on which details were painted in pigment with a brush. The glass pieces were then heated in a kiln or oven to bond the pigment to the glass surface. This firing makes the painted detail as durable and permanent as the glass itself. Most religious windows from medieval times until this century were executed in this manner, and so the term came to be used first for any architectural application, and then for any design in colored flat glass. It is now universally accepted as a convenient general term to define the art, the craft, and the industry
PAINTED GLASS – Glass on which special paints (containing frit) have been applied in illustration or decorative pattern and then heated in a kiln to a temperature high enough to fuse the pigments permanently to the glass surface. The modern version of the original medieval “stained glass.”
Hey viewers, Don’t miss out! The contest will end in two weeks for today.Remember, the contest is to find the most beautiful glass window picture in the world (or at least in our little portion of it). Win one hundred bucks just for sending in a digital window picture. I love beautiful glass windows, don’t you? For the details (there are a few simple rules) go to:
http://hubpages.com/hub/VoteTheMostBeautifulGlassWindowInTheWorld
I’ll be grateful if you participate! 
)
Jerry (webmaster: Crafting Glass)
Aug
1
Welcome to CraftingGlass.com! Crafting Glass features videos, articles, pictures, and blogs on making and caring for beautiful glass objects. Whether it is information on stained glass, etched glass, or glass beads you will find it here. The sources for the tools and supplies you will need for crafting and maintaining decorative glass likely will be found here as well. Tips on buying, installing, and repairing window glass are provided on this web site also. For a list of categories please look in the column on the left side of this page. Please feel free to comment (blog) on any article or video. I also welcome suggestions for new articles, pictures, or videos in the broad catagory of “glass” (use the “contact us/me” page), How awesome can glass be? Well, just look at the beautiful images below for some idea of the beauty and versatility of glass.
Central Train Station R10/O5, Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Architectural glass by Derix Glass Studios (derix.com). Pictured is the Glass art ceiling and glass art pillars.
Narcissus Quagliata, artist
A small stained glass window in an near 100 year old home.
A hand blown and hand cut small glass vase. 
Agate glass pitcher 
It is beautiful, whatever it is!
(Learn more here)
Have you noticed the lovely color reflecting from a quality camera lens as you turn it from side to side? How about the beautiful shimmering look of an expensive opal? Both of these impressive effects are similar to what you see when viewing a piece of dichroic jewelry or glass art. Dichroic glass was originally developed by NASA for an, as yet, untold use. Remember the awesome reflected colors and moonscape scenes from the astronaut’s face shields? To me those “reflections” have a look similar to some dichroic glass pieces even though there is no such glass in the shields. To create dichroic glass multiple thin layers of metal or metal oxides are electronically applied to glass in a vacuum chamber. There may be as many as 30 or 40 layers of coating applied to a single piece of glass for the desired result. Yet all of these layers together are only about 1/45th the thickness of a piece of computer printer paper! Dichroic glass is now available for use by artists from dichroic coating manufacturers. Recently dichroic glass art is becoming highly popular because of its near gem-like appearance and the fact that no two pieces, even those make by the same artist, are ever totally alike. You can, for instance, have a “one of a kind” set of dichroic earrings for a quite reasonable price compared to almost any other one of a kind item (compared, say, to a designer dress).
Artists who craft glass love dichroic because they can create different looks by using more or fewer dichroic glass pieces added to the base glass. Also, the layers can be selectively removed in places, down to the base glass, by a laser or other tool. This removal of dichroic layers only in areas chosen by the artist creates images of great variety. Pictures of faces, animals, or abstract art can be achieved by careful use of this technique by the glass artist. Dichroic glass is usually added in layers to a piece of glass (plain or colored) called the base glass. The method used is called “hotworking” or glass fusing (see my fused glass category). A dichroic glass piece can be used in art directly, without fusing, but isn’t often used that way because of cost and other factors. To see the awesome beauty of dichroic glass art please view the pictures below. Remember that the dichroic art pieces are more striking in person than the pictures because as you turn the dichroic art in your hand the colors change in dramatic ways. For more information about dichroic glass (often called “dicro” please see the following site(s)
Artist Linda Abbott at: http://www.dichroicglass.net/index.asp
Thanks for looking! Jerry (webmaster Crafting Glass)
First two pictures courtesy of Linda Abbott http://www.dichroicglass.net/
Opal-like Dichroic
Turquoise Dichroic
Photographer Zygzee Artist Milton Jacobson (from: http://everystockphoto.com/photo.php?imageId=3375443)
Dichroic Pendant or Earring
Mar
13
Today I have posted (just below this post) a video showing some of the inspiring work of glass artist Guy Kemper. Guy says that he started out in stained glass but now his work is hard to catagorize. He now sometimes calls himself an artist in “blown glass paintings”…..whatever you call it, his work is awesome! One sample picture is right here in this post. Now please watch the video in the next post. It is a little longer (about 8 minutes) than the usual short vids I post here but it is worth your time, believe me.
Jerry (webmaster, Crafting Glass)
Guy’s web site:
I believe this is the most awesome, unique use of glass I’ve ever seen. This work is by the artist Walter Gordinier with glass materials mostly (all?) from the great glass company Uroboros.
Please look here (below) to be inspired!
http://www.uroboros.com/images/artist_gallery/Walter_Gordanier/full_images/image1.jpg
Thanks for visiting my web site!
Jerry (webmaster, Crafting Glass)