The Language of Glass: Wagga Wagga Art Gallery

A BOU T The Language of Glass

Wagga Wagga Art Gallery agga Wagga Art Gallery is an innovative public art museum serving the largest inland city in New South Wales. The Art Gallery is located in the architectdesigned Civic Centre in the heart of the Cultural Precinct. Its facilities include large temporary exhibition spaces, the Links Gallery program for work by local artists, an Artist in Residence studio and a stand-alone gallery to display the National Art Glass Collection.

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National Art Glass Collection his prestigious title is due to the national significance of this collection as it reflects contemporary art glass practice from its developments in the 1960’s to the present. Acquisitions are made each year and there are approximately 300 works in the collection. Located on the first floor of the stand-alone gallery is an exhibition explaining the history behind the Art Gallery and its collecting of art glass, and a general history of studio art glass in Australia. Throughout the year there are displays of the works from the National Art Glass Collection and touring art glass exhibitions located on the groound floor of the glass gallery.

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B LOW I N G I

s the technique of forming an object by inflating a gather of molten glass on to the end of a blowpipe.

The gaffer blows through the tube, slightly inflating the molten glass. This is then manipulated into the required form by swinging the blowpipe, rolling the gather on a marver, or shaping the gather with tools or in a mould. The manipulated gather is then inflated to the desired size.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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BLAKEBROUGH, Les Amber bottle 1981 free-blown glass 13.0 x 12.5 x 12.5 cm

GLOSSARY Gather or gob: A mass of molten glass collected at the end of a blowpipe or pontil.

A CTI V I T Y

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sing bubble blowing solution, experiment with different ways of blowing bubbles.

ry using straws, traditional bubble blowing rings, or make your own by bending an old coathanger into various shapes. What shapes work best?

GLOSSARY Marver: A smooth, at surface (marble or iron) on which soft, hot glass attached to a blowpipe or pontil, is rolled to smooth it or consolidate decoration.

K ILN F O R MIN G T

he process of fusing or shaping glass by heating inside or over a mould using a kiln.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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SKILLITZI, Stephen Handkerchief 1982 kiln formed glass, enamel & lustre 9.8 x 29.2 x 31.1 cm

GLOSSARY Kiln or furnace: Like an oven, a chamber to melt glass and to maintain it in a molten state.

QUEST I O N S

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hat do you think was the inspiration for this artist?

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o you think the glass was molten when it was slumped over the mould?

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xplain why you think it was, or why you think it wasn’t.

GLOSSARY Gaffer: The master craftsman in charge of a team of hot glass workers (from the word ‘grandfather’)

S L UMPE D S

lumped glass has been heated in a kiln from room temperature to a high heat to cause it to soften, slump or sag into or over a mould. The glass takes on the shape of the mould.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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FEIL-MOORMAN, Shar Hessian dam 1983 fused and slumped at glass 4.2 x 28.0 x 28.0 cm

GLOSSARY Pontil: A solid metal rod, it is usually tipped with molten glass and applied to the base of a vessel to hold it while it is being formed.

A CTI V I T Y U

sing papier-mâché glue and sheets of glue soaked newspaper drape over various sized and shaped bowls, then leave to dry over the bowls.

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sing the dry draped shapes cut up and reassemble into new shapes. Reinforce the join with strips of glue soaked paper.

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fter it has dried, decorate it with washes of paint to let the newspaper print show through.

GLOSSARY Papier-mâché: Shredded or pulped paper soaked with glue and moulded into shapes before it dries and sets hard.

CAST I NG I

s the generic name for a wide variety of techniques used to form glass in a mould.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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STADUS, Pamela Winter pear - Summer pear 1993 sand-cast glass a 19.7 x 17.5 x 6.1 cm b 21.3 x 20.8 x 8.0 cm

Blowpipe: A hollow metal tube of iron or steel 1 to 2 metres long and ared at the end. The glass maker twists the ared end in molten glass to collect the gob.

GLOSSARY

QUEST I O N S

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hat things besides glass are made using moulds?

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hy do you think moulds are used?

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veryday things can be used as moulds.

Have a look around you, can you see anything that could be used as a mould?

Gatherer: Someone who collects wooden forming blocks and irons, determines the amount of molten glass required, and shapes or ‘blocks’ the glass to even the gather.

GLOSSARY

L A MPW O R K I

s the technique of using glass rods and tubes which are heated, softened and shaped with hand tools and a Bunsen burner.

The technique has been used extensively in Venetian glass and bead making.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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MANSON, William Blue shark 1981 lampwork 4.5 x 8.0 x 8.0 cm

GLOSSARY Bunsen burner: A small adjustable gas burner capable of producing great heat.

A CTI V I T Y U T

sing pipe cleaners, straws and twigs make animals that relate to the area you live in.

hink of ways to show off your animals such as a mini cage or container to make them appear like a specimen.

GLOSSARY Specimen: An individual of a species used as an example for investigation or scientiďŹ c examination.

L ATT I C I N O

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s the process of embedding coloured glass canes, normally in a spiral, into translucent glass.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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Selkirk Glass Crown and thistle 1982 latticino, lampworking 5.8 x 6.9 x 6.9 cm

GLOSSARY Embed: To ďŹ x ďŹ rmly into the surrounding mass of glass.

QUEST I O N S

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hat does the word latticino mean?

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lot of glass terms come from the Italian language.

Why do you think this is?

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hat other Italian words and their meanings do you know?

GLOSSARY Translucent: Allowing light to pass through; semi-transparent.

MILL E F I O R I

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oloured glass canes are grouped together then sliced thinly and embedded in the surface of the glass. The word is Italian for ‘a thousand flowers’.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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Perthshire Paperweights PP 19 Scrambled 1977 millefiori, lampworking 4.7 x 6.8 x 6.8 cm

GLOSSARY Cane: A thin, stretched rod of coloured glass.

A CTI V I T Y T

ake three different coloured clays. Roll or atten individually then sandwich together so a pattern appears at the end.

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oll into a sausage until the diameter is a centimetre when sliced. Slice multiple pieces of the same width.

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oin together over a mould (a dinner plate draped in wet fabric is ideal). Fire and glaze with clear glaze.

Murrine: Canes are bundled and cut into slices.

These slices can be rearranged and slumped over moulds to create glass with complex checkerboard-like patterns

GLOSSARY

A N NE A L I N G

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s the process of slowly cooling a completed object in a kiln. This is an integral part of glassmaking.

If a hot glass object is cooled too quickly it will be highly stressed by the time it reaches room temperature.

Stressed glass breaks easily if subjected to mechanical or thermal shock.

Artist Name: MOUNT, Nick Title: blue funnel and cylinder 1980 red funnel and cylinder 1980 Medium: free-blown glass Size: blue a 16.3 x 14.2 x 14.2 cm b 28.4 x 7.0 x 7.0 cm red a 16.0 x 14.0 x 14.0 cm b 31.3 x 7.9 x 7.8 cm

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GLOSSARY Thermal Shock: Glass will shatter when the outside cools faster than the inside.

QUEST I O N S

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hat other materials are affected by thermal shock?

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lass comes in several varieties such as Bullseye and Murano.

Each heats and cools differently.

Do you think you can mix varieties?

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xplain why you think you should or shouldn’t mix glass varieties.

GLOSSARY Glory hole: Located in side of a glass furnace, it is used to re-heat glass to polish or decorate it.

COLD WORKING A

ny work that is done on the glass that has been ďŹ nished after the annealing process is completed.

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xamples of working without heat are grinding, surfacing and drilling.

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Artists EDOLS, Ben and Names: ELLIOTT, Kathy Title: Murrini vase 1994 Medium: murrini cane used in the hot shop (Ben Edols), cased, cold worked using diamond wheels (Kathy Elliott) Size: 21.8 x 13.1 x 10.5 cm

GLOSSARY Carving: Cutting into the surface of a form with hand held tools.

A CTI V I T Y T L

ake a piece of cardboard. Collect things such as dirt, leaves, screwed up pieces of paper.

ay a thick layer of glue down on the cardboard. Sprinkle or place items to form a pattern on the cardboard.

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ait until dry then sprinkle, or sponge with paint.

Cutting: Cutting into the surface of a form by means of a rotating wheel made of stone, wood or metal. An abrasive suspended in a liquid assists the process.

GLOSSARY

SANDBLASTING A

method used to remove layers of glass with fine sand, or aluminium particles and air under high pressure.

A cloudy dull finish will result.

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he sandblasting process can remove enough glass to create holes in the glass.

Artist Name: O’CONNOR, Denis Title: Untitled (aqua bottle) 1985 Medium: free-blown, sandblasted glass Size: 34.3 x 7.5 x 7.5 cm

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GLOSSARY Sand: The most common form of silica used in glass making.

QUEST I O N S

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hat does this surface treatment remind you of?

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here do you think this type of surface treatment occurs in nature?

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ow long do you think it would take for a piece of glass in the ocean or river to be turned into a sandblasted pebble?

GLOSSARY Stippling: Tapping the glass with a diamond-pointed tool, to make decorative marks.

CASING I

s the application of a layer of glass over a layer of contrasting coloured glass. The gaffer either gathers one layer over another, or inates a gob of hot glass inside a preformed blank of another colour.

The two components adhere and are inated together (perhaps with frequent reheating) until they have the desired form. Sometimes, the upper layer is carved, cut, or acid-etched to produce cameo glass.

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Artists EDOLS, Ben and Names: ELLIOTT, Kathy Title: Murrini vase 1994 Medium: murrini cane used in the hot shop (Ben Edols), cased, cold worked using diamond wheels (Kathy Elliott) Size: 21.8 x 13.1 x 10.5 cm

GLOSSARY Fusing: Heating pieces of glass in a kiln until they bond.

A CTIV I T Y T

ake at least three pieces of different coloured paper and tape along the edges. Cut and tear into the paper to reveal the colours underneath.

The more paper you used the more colours revealed.

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xperiment with drawing and cutting simple shapes into the paper and layer them on one another before you tape the edges.

GLOSSARY Studio Glass: Glass pieces created individually in an artist’s studio. Also known as Art Glass.

IRI DE S C E N C E I

s the rainbow like effect that changes according to the angle from which the object is viewed or the source of light. Iridescence is a deliberate effect achieved by the introduction of metallic substances into the batch of glass or by spraying the surface with stannous chloride or lead chloride and reheating it in a reducing atmosphere.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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HEANEY, Colin Untitled 1989 free-blown, iridised glass 26.5 x 34.3 x 8.0 cm

GLOSSARY Stannous / Lead Chloride: Bivalent tin or lead chemically bonded with chlorine can be re-heated on the surface of glass to create a metallic sheen.

QUEST I O N S

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his surface looks slick and wet.

What other things look like this?

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o you think that this technique is easy? Why?

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o you think you could do this yourself? Discuss why or why not.

GLOSSARY Reducing atmosphere: Can be created by starving the kiln or furnace of oxygen as it burns.

A CI D E T C H IN G I

s the process of etching the surface of glass with hydrofluoric acid.

Acid-etched decoration is produced by covering the glass with an acidresistant substance such as wax or tape, through which the design is scratched or cut away. The glass piece is then placed in a bath of hydrofluoric acid to etch the exposed areas of glass.

Artist Name: MORREL, Richard Title: Bowl of no meanings 1988 Medium: blown and kiln-cast glass, acid-etched, cut and polished Size: 14.9 x 15.8 x 14.3 cm

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GLOSSARY Hydrofluoric acid: An acid made by mixing Hydrogen and Fluoride capable of dissolving glass.

A CTI V I T Y T

ake sheets of heavy paper. Lay bits of leaves, owers, torn bits of paper on the heavy paper.

Roll or sponge paint over the items. Wait until dry.

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emove the items reposition and repeat with another colour of paint.

GLOSSARY Servitor: Someone who shapes the basic glass object, sometimes adds bits, and transfers the glass from one iron to another.

E N GRAV I NG I

s the process of cutting into the surface of a glass object either by holding it against a rotating wheel fed with an abrasive or by scratching it with industrial diamond tools.

Artist Name: HIEBL, Helmut Title: Visiting buttery 1984 Medium: cased blown glass, cameo technique, wheel engraved Size: 17.4 x 11.6 x 11.5 cm

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GLOSSARY Blank: An uncut glass vessel before it is decorated.

QUEST I O N S

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here do you think this buttery is from? Why?

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o you know a tale about a buttery?

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hat do you think the person is thinking?

GLOSSARY Moulding: Glass shaped inside a wood or metal mould.

E NAME L L ING I

s a process of painting enamels on to cold glass, then ďŹ ring in a low-temperature kiln so that they fuse onto the glass surface and are relatively resistant to wear.

Artist Name: Title: Medium: Size:

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SKILLITZI, Stephen Handkerchief 1982 kiln formed glass, enamel & lustre 9.8 x 29.2 x 31.1 cm

GLOSSARY Enamels: Paint made from ground glass and pigments.

A CTIV I T Y T R

ake a sheet of paper. Experiment with folding to create a container. esearch origami. Can you make a piece of at paper into an origami cup?

GLOSSARY Slumping: A process that uses heat and gravity to change the shape of a glass form, usually in a kiln.

T H ANK Y O U

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his exhibition was made possible with the assistance of the following organisations:

Wagga Wagga Art Gallery

G LOSS A RY Term

Card

Blank

Engraving

Bunsen burner

Front / Back

Front / Back

Term

Card

F

Blowpipe

Casting

F

Lampwork

F

Cane

Millefiori

F

Carving

Cold Working

F

Cutting

Cold Working

B

Embed

Latticino

F

Enamels

Enamelling

F

Fusing

Casing

F

Gaffer

Kiln Forming

B

Gather / Gob

Blowing

F

Gatherer

Casting

B

Glory hole

Annealing

B

Hydrofluoric Acid Acid Etching

F

Kiln / Furnace

Kiln Forming

F

Marver

Blowing

B

Moulding

Engraving

B

Murrine

Millefiori

B

Papier-mache Slumped

B

Pontil

Slumped

F

Reducing Atmosphere

Iridescence

B

Sand

Sandblasting

F

Servitor

Acid Etching

B

Specimen

Lampwork

B

Iridescence

F

Slumping

Enamelling

B

Stannous / Lead Chloride

Stippling

Sandblasting

B

Studio Glass Casing

B

Thermal shock

Annealing

F

Translucent

B

Latticino