Transforming fused and dichroic art glass into fine glass jewelryFused glass artists Mendy and Crystal Ouzillou strive to create unusual and unique glass jewelry. They constantly push themselves stylistically and technically. As a husband and wife team they have different strengths. They push and pull each other in different directions with amazing results.
Fused glass and dichroic glass creates an ongoing adventure for the artists. Though copious notes and experience enables the glass artist to guide the glass in a particular direction and in a somewhat deterministic manner, one must accept the fact that "the glass is in charge". During the cutting process the glass may break in a strange direction. During the fusing process the glass may exhibit strange color interactions. In other words, become one with the concept that glass behaves unpredictably sometimes — which makes for an exciting experience.
People sometimes ask, "Can I learn how to fuse glass?" As with many artistic endeavors, learning to fuse glass takes an afternoon to learn and a lifetime to master, not to mention deep pockets to buy the ever-increasing list of must-have tools!
The basic process of transforming fused glass and dichroic glass into fine art jewelry is divided into 4 steps: design, shaping, fusing, and jewelry creation.
Step 1: Design of art glass jewelry
Crystal and Mendy draw their inspiration from a wide range of sources: artists, friends, nature, the glass itself, and of course, each other. They may sketch out an initial design, or jump right into the flow by cutting and assembling the glass. Glass is available in a complete palette of colors and textures. Dichroic glass is an important design element but one that must be carefully balanced with the overall goals of the composition. Dichroic glass can be a particularly tricky medium and working with it requires practice and an open imagination to maximize its benefit.
For Crystal and Mendy, the spontaneity of glass matches their own personalities. Assembling the varied individual glass elements and transforming them into a cohesive composition requires skill, science, patience, passion and inspiration.
Step 2: Shaping the glass
First, get used to the idea that you are breaking glass! After that, cutting, grinding and sawing the glass are a straightforward matter. Most glass equipment uses diamond grit to abrade the glass and represents a significant part of equipment costs. After the glass pieces are cut, they must be thoroughly cleaned to ensure the beauty of the glass after firing. Once clean, the glass pieces are carefully assembled in the desired pattern and placed in the kiln.
Step 3: Fusing the glass in a kiln
We fuse the glass using the extreme temperatures of a kiln. As the heat rises above 1200 degrees F the glass softens, at 1700 degrees F, the glass flows like honey. In between, magic happens. These separate pieces of glass flow together in a totally unique interplay of colors and textures and one that even the artist can predict only to a certain point.
The outcome depends on how long the glass is left in the kiln, and how hot it gets. For the ancient glass artisans, trying to regulate the kiln temperature must have been very frustrating. Fortunately, modern kilns and materials have come a long way. Modern kilns are constructed from space age insulating materials and kiln controllers can offer fine control over temperature and duration.
Step 4: Transforming the finished fused glass into fine art glass jewelry
Once the glass cools down, the glass may need to be shaped and fused again until the desired result is reached. Then it is time to transform that beautiful piece of fused glass or dichroic glass into fine art glass jewelry.
Finishing a pendant, earrings, ring, or bracelet might be as simple as gluing a sterling silver bail or could involve wire wrapping in sterling silver the fused glass so it is ready to wear. For more elaborate pieces Crystal fabricates rings and bezel settings out of sterling silver. All metalwork is done by hand right there in the studio.
Additionally, she might add some decorative wire wrapping as an accent. Once satisfied with the composition, she signs each piece.
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