Introduced to glasswork by my sister, a glass artist from Montreal, I began my craft 10 years ago in a small space tucked away in my Whitby home. Armed with only one kiln, a basic glass cutter, my hobby space eventually grew to take over the entire basement space as it became the perfect "Studio Cave", where I now work with several kilns and cold working equipment.
The technique of glass fusing involves stacking, or layering thin sheets of glass, often using different colors to create patterns or simple images. The piece is then placed inside the kiln and heated through a series of ramps and soaks (hold time) until the separate pieces begin to bond (fuse) together. This is achieved at a temperature of about 1490 degree. The glass is then either, placed in a mold and re-fired (slump) to give it the shape of plates, bowls, candle holder etc. or cut, polished and re-fired to create unique pieces of jewelry.
