How Hard Edge glass artwork is costed
One of the most common questions I get asked about my work is “Why is glass art so expensive?”
I’ll be delighted to tell you.
It takes 4 things to make the price including my time to design and cut the many small pieces, plus the cost of safe delivery of a relatively fragile finished work, plus the cost of raw materials, plus overheads.
Hard Edge glass art is a very demanding style to work in.
Every work comprises many individual pieces of small interlocking coloured art glass pieces that need to be cut absolutely precisely. My larger works for example contain over 300 individual elements, often of exquisite shape - and they all need cutting exactly right, without breaking, chipping or scratching.
This is my kind of perfection.
It takes longer than you might think, especially some of the tricky tight curves I’m so fond of.
I don’t use a laser or waser to do my cutting. This isn’t art to me.
Every piece of glass that’s cut is all done by me, by hand - even the longest, thinnest most difficult pieces. Done by me!
Every tiny piece is individual, unique and thoughtfully considered until I feel the whole work is greater than the sum of its tiny parts.
I have no formula for doing this.
Some people call it magic. I call it visual intuition. Others call it luxury.
"Toucan" fused glass art - computer design and glass miniature development
Selecting the art glass for a recent client commission
Everything has to be conceived and designed before any piece of glass is cut. Very much part of the process is inviting my client to share in the creation.
I love involving my customers in this part of the process, two of us together working towards a worthy goal.
Lots of you have ideas, like “can this arch be more purple?” or “can you do it so it matches the palette of a painting I have on a nearby wall”. I welcome all customer inputs as I firmly believe it’s a two-way relationship.
This is how the best of my work can be created.
Production videos from Instagram
Now you can see what goes into original Hard Edge glass art.
No compromise. No corner cutting. No template. No bulk production.
Everything is painstakingly original.
This is why it’s called art, and not craft.
Production of "Orangerie" fused glass art
"Orangerie fused glass art - just out of the kiln
You also need to consider careful deep packing and boxing by me for safe delivery, plus an engraved signature to authenticate the work is also time consuming.
For the largest works, I use a dedicated pack & send company experienced in delivering the fragile and the valuable.
No customer has ever had a piece arrive with a crack or chip.
The extra care I take is worth it.
This is how I make art.
