| Blown glass, with its long and varied | | | | Chihuly, began the Pilchuck Glass School, |
| history, has taken many forms and functions. | | | | which continues to instruct and inspire |
| Nowhere is this medium more impressive and | | | | artists. |
| inspiring than in the beauty of a blown glass | | | | |
| lamp. The element of light adds an | | | | Several contemporary artists are working |
| infinitely fascinating combination of | | | | today to make an amazing array of blown glass |
| luminous color and form. | | | | lamps; a combination of form (the glass) and |
| | | | function (to provide light) inspires and |
| Glassblowing is a labor-intensive process | | | | delights aficionados worldwide. For example: |
| that involves a great deal of training and | | | | |
| skill. Described very simply, it involves | | | | · Venetian artist Eros Raffael, whose |
| the use of a metal blowpipe that is dipped | | | | creations are represented in the United |
| into molten glass. The artist blows into the | | | | States by Oggetti Luce, works with glass |
| pipe, creating a bubble that is shaped with | | | | canes to produce complex striations and |
| the use of a few simple tools, and is cooled | | | | dapples of color in his pieces. |
| slowly over several hours so as not to crack | | | | |
| the glass. | | | | · Guy Corrie of Union Street Glass, |
| | | | whose glass seems to take on a life of its |
| The process of blowing glass while in a | | | | own, mimics organic shapes and patterns found |
| molten state first came into use around the | | | | in the natural world to produce a wonderful |
| first century B.C.E. by Syrian craftsmen. | | | | variety of lamps and lighting fixtures. |
| The technology was quickly adopted, then | | | | |
| developed, refined and distributed by the | | | | · Lisa Schwartz and Kurt Swanson of |
| Romans. By the Middle Ages, the world | | | | Pinkwater Glass bring a whimsical and fun |
| capital of glassmaking was centered in | | | | element to lighting with their distinctive, |
| Venice, Italy. It was in Venice and on the | | | | colorful, polka-dotted designs and |
| island of Murano that the secret techniques | | | | almost-from- another-world themes. |
| of glass artisans were closely guarded and | | | | |
| fostered for several hundred years. | | | | · Tracy Glover, who uses her blown glass |
| | | | primarily in the stems of her lamps, creates |
| Then in the mid-twentieth century, in the | | | | simple, elegant and magical lighting fixtures |
| United States, Harvey Littleton and Dominick | | | | that can be used in a variety of décor. |
| Labino started the studio glass movement. | | | | |
| They brought glassmaking techniques to a | | | | Celebrate the skill and artistry that has |
| smaller, studio-based scale that allowed more | | | | developed over the last two thousand years by |
| versatility with the medium. One of | | | | exploring the rich variety of blown glass |
| Littleton's most famous students, Dale | | | | lamps available today. |