The Process of my Current Work

Each piece of artwork begins in the flame of a torch using various borosilicate glass rods. The colors of "boro" are unpredictable and ethereal; often yielding a multitude of colors from a single rod. These colors are brought forth by utilizing different flame characteristics and varying heating and cooling patterns. When finished, each sculpture is placed into a digitally controlled kiln to remove stress caused from manipulating the glass. This insures the structural integrity so that you may enjoy your glass art for many years to come.

Once the piece has cooled, I begin working with encaustic to create a panel on which to mount the glass. Encaustic is a meduim that is made up of beeswax, damar reasin, pigment, and sometimes other waxes to temper the beeswax. It involves heating the wax up so that it can be painted, as well as fusing between each layer as it is applied. Bits of other material can be trapped between layers without the use of any adhesives. Encaustic also uses no solvents and the smell is heavenly! One of my favorite parts of this medium is the wonderful luminosity of the finished piece. It is a perfect marriage with the ethereal colors and transluscence of the borosilicate glass.

I am very excited to contimue exploring the possibilities of combining glass and encaustic!