Helpless Moon Fused Glass
I am a fused glass artist based in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I came across glass fusing about 4 years ago and have been captivated with it ever since. It is definitely an addicting medium in which to work! When I started out, I bought a tiny kiln that could hold no more than a 7 inch square of glass but with it I learned to understand the importance of temperature control and speed of heating and annealing. I was hooked right from the moment I first opened the kiln door and found a successfully fired piece!
The kiln size has grown along with my love for glass. My mini kiln has been converted to a vitrigraph kiln, allowing me to create glass canes and murrine. (There are several examples of these in my gallery photos.)
The possibilities this medium offers seem endless. Colors, patterns and contrasting types of glass, both transparent and opalescent, allow for creative design and experimentation. Fellow glass artists and their ability to develop new techniques inspire me.
Every item I make is one of a kind and a work of love, from planning and drawing the original design on paper to the finished product.
Glass fusing is a multi-step process. First, layers of glass are combined to create unique designs which are fired in my kiln up to 1450 degrees and then cooled down slowly to stabilize and anneal the glass. The piece of fused glass is then ground and fire polished to remove sharp edges and slight imperfections. Then back into the kiln to be re-fired to shape, heating the glass in order to slump it into a mold. Some items are further cold-worked with a sandblaster to gain a matte finish.
I hope you enjoy my work as much as I love creating it!