Friday, July 3, 2009

Artist's tool box: equipment for hot and cold glass art

This post contains pictures of tools that are used to create and repair glass art. Those tools in the masters' hands that help them translate their imagination to reality. The tools might be dull, mechanical, mundane but the art that emerges in the end is anyhting but ordinary. So check these guys out! I took these pictures in Bonnie's studio in Athens.


The machine that is used to make glass beads. Bonnie showed me how a glass bead comes to life. A star is born! The way it takes shape is marvelous..simply beautiful.

This is a handheld glass cutter. You put a clear glass on a shape drawn on paper and run the cutter on the lines. I tried my hand at it. It's amazing how such a tiny thing can cut quite a thick piece of glass. Enjoyed it!

Take a look at the unassuming copper foil and the mundane solder that bring together eclectic glass pieces to form a design.

This heavey thing is used to pound glass pieces into fine powder that is used to create effects. Bonnie showed me fine powder of black glass that sparkled and shined.

Here is the big bad metal boy: the kiln. It is used to melt glass to create fused glass pieces. The kiln has a digital control panel and can handle temperature of upto 1800 degrees.


4 comments:

  1. The last one seems cool~I can almost feel the tempering of glasses there. and i think i saw ur reflection there, Ash~

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  2. I liked all the equipments.Seldom we get to know about these because most of the times we are just concerned with final product. It's almost like a mini factory, don't you think?

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  3. Nice articles and pics. Bonnie is a wonderful artist with great original concepts. Athens is lucky to have her.

    Keep up the art blogging. The art community in Athens needs this.

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  4. Thank you for encouraging words! It's been a plasure to write about the art movement in the area. The art and artists in Athens are the real driving force of this blog.

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