TCA Juried Biennial G L A S S Process Photographs

Sally Dryer Sally Dryer describes her work as “architectonic pieces” that “wander between the worlds of sculpture, architecture and kaleidoscopes.”

Dryer starts by cutting mirrors with accurate precision.

She uses a front surface mirror for optimum clarity.

She plays with geometry in assembling the mirror pieces.

Mirrors and objects create optical illusions.

The materials help inspire and form the illusion.

Cut pieces of wood form the housing structure.

Rivets and screws add stability and aesthetic accents.

Some final gluing and adjustments finish the piece.

BJ Katz & Chris Klein These artists collaborate on many projects at Meltdown Glass Studio in Tempe.

Their work appears at Chandler-Gilbert Community College.

The two artists brainstorm a new piece.

Meltdown Glass uses a variety of processes including…

etching on glass…

painting on glass…

…and fusing glass.

The results are large and small scale works in galleries, homes and corporate offices.

Laurie Nessel Laurie Nessel makes core-formed glass vessels using an ancient technique with modern materials.

The first hollow glass objects were made in Mesopotamia c BCE by forming molten glass around a molded core of clay, dung, straw, sand and water. The material was later removed, leaving a glass shell. Then in the first century BCE, the invention of the glass blowpipe made core forming nearly obsolete. Eastern Mediterranean, Cyprus c. 2nd-1st century B.C. Core-formed, trail decorated and tooled Photo courtesy Corning Museum of Glass

Core-forming continues to intrigue a handful of dedicated glass artists to this day.

Fine steel wool is wrapped tightly around a stainless steel rod (mandrel) in the shape of the interior of the vessel.

The core is dipped in a slurry of powdered clay and glass…. ….and the surface is smoothed out using a manual lathe and a plastic card.

A glass rod is softened in the flame and pressed against the core as the mandrel is turned.

The rod is coiled around the core the length of the vessel.

The entire vessel is bathed in a bushy flame.

The vessel is rolled across a pad to create even wall thickness. The collar of this piece has turned dark with carbon, but this will be covered up before the work is done.

The vessel is heated again and rolled in white enamel which will provide an interesting pattern on the surface.

The enamel is melted and the vessel is rolled over a sheet of pure copper foil.

The copper is burnished onto the surface and melted. The dark striations occur where the copper has wrinkled and overlapped. The mottling is spreading enamel granules and displacing the copper.

A thin glass rod (a stringer) is melted into the surface to create veins.

A matching rod of glass has been prepped, fusing to the vessel.

Disc nippers are used to cut the rod. The rod is softened and curled back onto the vessel. The rod is cut with disc nippers and softened and curled back onto the vessel.

The loop is repeatedly heated and reamed with a sharpened graphite rod, refining the shape and securing the joint.

A registration mark guides placement of the second handle.

The vessel is annealed (slowly cooled in a kiln to prevent fractures). The mandrel is pulled out and the core is broken off. The steel wool is pulled out.

The slurry has been fired into the shell and must be scraped and sanded away.

An acid treatment diffuses the reflection on the surface. Photographs of Nessel’s work by Joshua Dopp.

See more images and Descriptions Online:

Thank You Laurie Nessel Sally Dryer BJ Katz & Christopher Klein Corning Museum of Glass