The Glass-Blowers (Virago Modern Classics)

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Coles, R.A. 1983. The Oxyrhynchus Papyri 50. Egypt Exploration Society for the British Academy: London. Researchers at the Toledo Museum of Art attempted to reconstruct the ancient free-blowing technique by using clay blowpipes. The result proved that short clay blowpipes of about 30–60cm (12–24in) facilitate free-blowing because they are simple to handle and to manipulate and can be re-used several times. [8] Skilled workers are capable of shaping almost any vessel forms by rotating the pipe, swinging it and controlling the temperature of the piece while they blow. They can produce a great variety of glass objects, ranging from drinking cups to window glass.

The Paddle: The paddle is a flat, heat-resistant tool used for flattening and shaping the glass. Commonly made from wood, graphite, or metal, the paddle is employed in various glassblowing techniques, such as creating flat bottoms for vessels or pressing decorative elements onto a piece. The transformation of raw materials into glass takes place at around 1,320°C (2,400°F); [16] the glass emits enough heat to appear almost white hot. The glass is then left to "fine out" (allowing the bubbles to rise out of the mass), and then the working temperature is reduced in the furnace to around 1,090°C (2,000°F). At this stage, the glass appears to be a bright orange color. Though most glassblowing is done between 870 and 1,040°C (1,600 and 1,900°F), "soda-lime" glass remains somewhat plastic and workable at as low as 730°C (1,350°F). Annealing is usually done between 371 and 482°C (700 and 900°F). William Morris is a glass artist from California. He studied under Dale Chihuly and worked with him for ten years before forming his own glass studio. Morris is known for his glass sculptures that incorporate myth, ancestry, and ancient civilizations.A glass blower works with molten glass to create various glass objects through the process of glassblowing. Using a blowpipe or blow tube, the glass blower gathers molten glass from a furnace and shapes it using various techniques, such as blowing air into the glass, shaping with tools, and manipulating the molten material while it's still hot and malleable. Glass blowers create a wide range of glass items, including vases, bowls, sculptures, ornaments, and even intricate glassware. Any blown glass collector will highly cherish a piece crafted in Murano during this boom. If you ever visit Venice these days, you’ll notice that blown glass is still closely tied with their culture. Secrets Revealed Glassblowing as a process and art form has remained relatively unchanged for centuries. However, the work of master artisans over the past several decades proves that glassworking is anything but static. Several famous glassworkers around the world have pushed the perceived limits of the art form to create pieces formerly incomprehensible.

Ritsue Mishima is a modern Venetian glass artist living in Italy. She uses colorless glass and a combination of traditional glassblowing techniques and contemporary decorative elements to make unique pieces. Mishima takes inspiration from nature and her pieces have organic shapes that show her love of natural lines and freeform design.Not knowing what to expect made this tale all the sweeter, so I will not reveal too much except to say that I felt as if I knew each character intimately, taking part in their tragedies and triumphs. I could almost feel the heat of the wood burning in glass house furnaces and smell the acrid smoke-filled air from muskets firing as France descended into revolution. But crashing into this world comes the violence and terror of the French Revolution against which, the family struggles to survive. The Glass-Blowers is a remarkable achievement — an imaginative and exciting reworking of du Maurier’s own family history.” In addition to working and demonstrating, Paul Stankard is also the author of three books about his life and glassblowing. Use of a glory hole to reheat a piece on the end of a blowpipe How a wine glass is made, Kosta Glasbruk, video Glass can be made with precise striped patterns through a process called cane which involves the use of rods of colored glass