International Class Blown Glass
 

Glass Blowing by John Phillips

Glass Blowing John Phillips creates interesting and sometimes spontaneous combinations to decorate the glass birds, jugs, apples, oil lamps, perfume bottles, bowls and Objet d'Art forming exquisite gifts for many occasions. Subtle variations, small bubbles or marks are an indication of the hand made characteristics of studio blown art. This distinguishes the unique nature of one of a kind pieces.

In his workshop, where roaring kilns belch waves of heat, he softens a ball of glass which he has impregnated with `frits' and pressed onto the end of a hollow pipe, blows carefully into the other end of the pipe while twirling it with his fingers, presses the ball between two water-soaked pads and thrusts it back into the 2,200 degree Fahrenheit fire until it assumes the desired shape.

Next, an assistant rolls a small dollop of molten glass on top of more frits and hands it to John, who plants it on the flattened ball, snips off the end, and quickly shapes the remainder. Ten minutes later, after planting, snipping, shaping and reshaping six more dollops, transferring the sculpture with the tap of a hammer onto another rod and reheating it, John has created a delicate, multi-hued fish. The fish is placed in a 950 degree annealing kiln to temper it and make it ready for handling the following morning. Multiply this modest effort by 50, and you have an idea of what John and his two assistants do all day long. "I was attracted by the immediacy of this craft," he explains. "What you want to make has to happen very quickly. Even a complex sculpture only takes a half hour."

Article written by Robin Brunet