A renewed interest in glass artwork has captured the American consciousness.
Aspiring artists explore new ways of conquering the unwieldy, molten freeform.
Career collectors struggle to keep up with an art form of endless potential.
And Hawaii homeowners take advantage of its illuminating and translucent qualities.
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Glass
was first fabricated during the Roman Empire in the first century B.C.
Centuries later, stained glass appeared in Gothic cathedrals. During
the Italian Renaissance, Murano glass blowers guarded trade secrets
with their lives. What made Murano’s glassmakers so special? For one
thing, they were the only people in Europe who knew how to make a
mirror. They also developed or refined technologies, such as
crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold
(aventurine), multicolored glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo) and
imitation gemstones made of glass. Their virtual monopoly on quality
glass lasted for centuries, until glassmakers in central Europe
introduced new techniques around the same time that colonists
immigrated to the New World. “Recently,” explains University of Hawaii
professor Richard Mills, “a studio-glass movement has revived the art,
putting these secrets into the hands of would-be artists and eager,
young students.”
To
ensure its molten malleability, glass is heated in a furnace to
extraordinary temperatures, ranging from 1,800°F to 2,300°F. The glass
is then shaped into forms and slowly cooled in a kiln to ensure its
structural stability. Regardless of the type, all glass artwork
requires a focused eye and steady pressure. The process is both
physically and mentally demanding. The motion and athleticism of
glassmaking has been likened to a ballet or dance. “You have to learn
to sweat, get burnt, pour yourself into it,” Mills says.
“Handblowing
glass is the most prolific method, creating the most versatile end
product,” explains Larry Barton, of Kela’s Glass Gallery, an exclusive
glass gallery located on Kauai. “The honeylike consistency is an
unforgiving substance that makes any glasswork impossible to recreate.”
Other contemporary processes include sand casting, molding, fusing and
slumping, a process in which sheet glass is melted, molded and sand
blasted.
— Locations:
Visit local galleries for home décor or great glass gift ideas. Local
favorites include Nohea Gallery (596-0074), Island Glassworks,
(263-4527), Kela’s Glass Gallery (808-822-4527, Kauai) and Hot Island
Glass (808-572-4527, Maui).
— Do It Yourself:
Consider creating your own glass masterpiece. Classes are offered for
registered students through the University of Hawaii Art Department
(Richard Mills, 956-5258). Or, take a class from UH graduate Geoff Lee,
at Island Glassworks (263-4527), in Kailua.
