Glass
is a strange substance. It contains the properties of liquid, gas,
and solid state matter and mostly resembles super-cooled liquid. It
looks solid but doesn't crystallize. Glass is made by fusing some
kind of silica as sand, and alkali as potash or soda, and some other
base, as lime or lead oxide. The colors come from a metallic oxide
added during the manufacturing process. Copper oxide, under varying
conditions produces ruby, blue, and green. Cobalt is the principal
base of gorgeous blues. Chromium and iron oxide produce green.
Uranium, cadmium sulfide, or titanium produce golden glass. Real
gold is used to produce ruby. Glass was used over five thousand
years ago in Asia, Europe, and Egypt.
What
Can You Do With Glass?
You
can cut it, glue it, join it with other pieces of glass, melt it,
shape it, blow it, fold it, cast it, paint with it, paint on it, eat
on it, see out of it, see through it, and even use it for phone
calls. Its most wonderful ability is to capture and reflect light.
One of the most intriguing aspects of glass is all of the processes
can be used in one work of art. This art can range from simple to
complex.
For
example, this 20" x 20." 348 piece copper-foiled stained
glass panel I made several years ago was very complex.
The
same process used to make the glass quilt above, was also used to
make this 42 piece simple design of a golden lab.
In
fact, much art glass is so beautiful as just glass, it is sometimes
hard to make the first cut.
