Glass Techniques and Terms
Compiled by Katherine Hough
BLOWN
The technique of forming an object by blowing air through a metal tube (blowpipe) and inflating a gob (small mass) of molten glass on the end of a blowpipe. A partially blown piece may be reheated and blown again repeatedly and manipulated into the desired form.
Examples:
Dale Chihuly (American, born 1941), White and Pink Seaform Set with White and Black Lip Wraps, 1985, blown glass. 75th Anniversary gift of the Estate of Gladys M. Rubinstein in memory of Sam Rubinstein, 2014.116a-k
Lino Tagliapietra (Italian, born 1934), Saturno, ca. 1980, blown glass. Gift of the Estate of Gladys M. Rubinstein, 2014.158.
Nancy Callan (American), Flamingo Cloud, 2010, blown glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.95.
CAST
The generic name for a wide variety of techniques used to form glass in a mold that is heated in a furnace or kiln (oven).
Examples:
Vladimira Klumpar (American, born Czech Republic, 1954), Sea Subject 1, 2010, cast glass. 75th Anniversary Gift of Arlene Schnitzer, 2014.56.
Ivana Šrámková (Czech Republic, born 1960), Sitting Nude (Buddha), 2004, cast glass. Gift of Judy Allen and Jim Hummer, 2014.99.
Richard Whiteley (British, born 1963), Reflector, 2011, cast and cold-worked glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.188.
Naomi Shioya (Japanese, born 1961), Roof Garden, 2008, cast glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.117a-e.
COLD WORKING
The term for many techniques used to alter or decorate glass when it is cold.
Examples:
Emma Camden (New Zealander, born England 1966), Passage-Red Amber, 2007, cast and cold-worked glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.96a-c.
Jeannet Iskandar (Danish, born 1980), Oval II, 2009, blown, cut, sandblasted, and task-fused glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.111.
Galia Amsel (British, born 1967), West Coast Surf 12, 2007, cast, sandblasted, and acid-etched glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.90.
CARVING AND CUTTING
The removal of glass from an object by means of hand-held tools or machines.
Examples:
Matthew Curtis (Australian, born England 1964), Bronze and Scarlet Cell, 2008, blown and cold-worked glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.187a-b.
John Kiley (American, born 1973), Squeezed Precarious Overlay, 2011, blown and cold-worked glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.112.
ENAMEL
A vitreous substance made of finely powdered glass and suspended in an oily medium that is applied with a brush on an object before heating in a kiln to fuse.
Example:
Lisa Cahill (Australian, born 1974), These Woods are Dark and Deep I Know...,2010, kiln-formed and enameled glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.94.
ENGRAVING
The process of cutting into the surface of a cooled glass object by scratching it with a diamond engraving tool or a rotating copper wheel fed with an abrasive.
Example:
Mel Douglas (Australian, born 1978), Callow II, 2015, blown, cold-worked, and engraved glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.102.
FUSING
The process of heating and melting pieces of glass in a kiln or furnace until they bond and fuse together.
Examples:
Emma Varga (Yugoslavian, born 1952), Ruby Red Sky #2, 2008, fused, cast, and cold-worked glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.178.
Udo Zembok (German, born 1951), Noir – Orange Jaune, 2010, cast glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.123.
GLASS
A homogeneous material with a liquid-like (non-crystalline) molecular structure. The manufacturing process requires that the raw materials be heated to a temperature sufficient to produce a completely fused melt, which, when cooled rapidly, becomes rigid without crystallizing.
KILN
An oven to process a substance by burning, drying, or heating. Kilns are used to fuse enamel and for kiln-forming processes.
KILN-FORMED
The process of fusing, altering, or shaping glass in or over a mold by heating in a kiln.
Examples:
Jessica Loughlin (Australian, born 1975), Visible Distance 2, 2008, kiln-formed glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.164.
Karen Bexfield (American, born 1970), Luna Gris, 2014, kiln-formed glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.139a-b.
Steve Klein (American, born 1946), Shelter 2, 2010, kiln-formed glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.161a-b.
Cobi Cockburn (Australian, born 1979), In Still, 2010, kiln-formed and cold-worked glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.190.
PÂTE-DE-VERRE
A material produced by grinding glass into a fine powder, adding a binder to create a paste, and a fluxing medium so that it melts easily. The paste is brushed into a mold and heated (fired) in a kiln or furnace to fuse.
Examples:
Masahiro Asaka (Japanese, born 1979), Surge 1.2, 2011, cast glass and pâté de verre. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.195.
SAND CARVING OR BLASTING
The process of removing glass or imparting a matte finish to create design or texture. Fine grains of sand are propelled by high-pressure air to the surface of the glass.
Examples:
Armelle Bouchet O’Neill (French), Untitled, 2012, blown and sand-carved glass. Gift of David Kaplan and Glenn Ostergaard, 2019.140.
STUDIO GLASS
A term popularized in the 1960s for unique glass objects made in an artist’s studio rather than a glass factory. Independent studio glass artists are not affiliated with factories, but work with hot glass in their own studios – utilizing small furnaces or kilns and easy-to-melt glass.
