Portico: Large square fused glass art bowl

MATERIALS: Fused glass

This Portico fused glass art bowl is made of 40 individual pieces of Spectrum 96 Art Glass.

The pieces of the pattern are each cut by hand from larger sheets of art glass.

Each piece is individually ground until they all fit together perfectly.

The pieces are then placed in a specialised glass kiln, with a clear layer of glass on top. They are fused at 800ºC to create a single 6mm thick piece of flat glass. This takes around 16 hours.

Once cooled, this flat piece is then burnished with polishing pads.
I then add stringers - thin strips of glass that sit on the surface to add another layer of depth and interest. Again it’s kiln-fused overnight for a fire polish.

To achieve the final bowl shape, the flat piece is slumped over a curved ceramic mould at a slightly lower temperature than regular firing.

At each firing stage, the glass is annealed and cooled overnight for maximum strength and durability.

While the production process is painstaking and lengthy, it's the only way to get the wonderful finished look of glass art.

I designed the Portico theme pattern and colour combination of this bowl.

Each of my glass objects are one of a kind - I never do identical objects. Even where the design is similar, they all have a unique colour combination.

During the glass fusing, small air bubbles can appear and become trapped within the glass. This is a natural occurrence that adds to the beauty of handmade glass products.

Even the strongest glass can break, so please handle your bowl with care.

When needed, dust it with a lint-free cloth, or wipe with a soft, damp cloth. Don't use an abrasive cleaner as this could scratch it.

Because of the handmade nature of glass, please don’t put it in a microwave or dishwasher.