Katie Katz shown with Tall Avelino glass sculpture group for an installation in Dubai UAE

This Tall Avelino glass sculpture installation consisted of seven Tall Avelino sculptures. The project was for a custom art glass installation in Dubai UAE. We were contacted by The Jam Jar Art Consultants for this project.

The client wanted organic hand blown glass forms similar in color and size. The cinnamon and aurora colors of these glass sculptures provided the warm color palette the client desired. The artwork was to be displayed on individual pedestals grouped together.

We were happy to hear that every glass sculpture arrived safely…

” I just want to say a huge thank you for the beautiful glass art and all your efforts. The glass is so amazing. Thanks again! ” – Lindsey Gildea, senior art consultant for The Jam Jar

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

Dipping a potato in a hot glass furnace may seem like an odd thing to do. This is actually an old glass factory trick. This little known trick helps with melting clean, bubble-free glass… And there is some actual science to back this up.

Melting a pot of glass

We fill the glass furnace with the raw materials for glass, known as ‘Batch’. Here is a link for more information and a video about what is in our glass.

The cycle for melting glass is known as charging… And putting batch into the furnace is known as – “throwing in a charge”.

It generally takes all day to fill the furnace, throwing in more batch as the previous charge begins to melt.

We melt the glass at a very hot temperature of 24ooº degrees.

The raw materials begin to melt together. Small gassy bubbles, known as ‘seeds’, form in the glass during the melting cycle.

These tiny bubbles or ‘seeds’ will rise to the top of the glass, dissipating away. Getting the seeds to rise to the surface is helped along when the furnace temperature is lowered to 2000º degrees. This process is known as the ‘squeeze’.

However, sometimes these seedy bubbles can’t make it to the surface before the glass reaches the lower glass blowing temperature. The glass is no longer viscous enough and the bubbles become trapped in the glass.

Potato in glass

Seedy bubbles is one of the reasons dipping a potato into the hot glass during the melting cycle is helpful.

The potato has a lot of moisture. This moisture very quickly turns into steam. This volatile burst of steam helps mix the molten glass components.

The steam also creates very large bubbles. Large bubbles have a much easier time reaching the surface during the ‘squeeze’. As these larger bubbles rise, they incorporate the tiny seed bubbles.

This gives us a better chance for clean bubble-free glass to make our glass sculptures.

I have heard of people using other things, such as apples, for this process… But a potato in glass is my choice of fruit or vegetable.

By Bernard Katz

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

The making of this contemporary art glass wall sculpture installation was a 4 month process. There were many steps involved from start to finish. A time lapse video at the bottom of this page shows some of the 4 month process.

The Beginning

We were contacted by Kate Sweeney, Founder of Perspective, an art advisory firm based in London, UK. The project was for the newly constructed building headquarters for the Endo Corporation located in Malvern, Pa.

Kate felt we would be a good fit for this part of the project. Kate and the architects provided some initial ideas for a glass wall sculpture installation. The glass sculpture was to be located within the executive seating area.

First visit

We were fortunate to be able to visit the site location for this project. The Endo Corporation is located near an old rock quarry. This gave us a better understanding of the surrounding environment… And aided us in creating the design concept. The surrounding rock quarry became the main inspiration for the color tones and overall design.

We worked closely with Kate, the head art advisor, and the architects. We created a design to fit their criteria and ideas. A contemporary design with ‘ball’ like forms and neutral-warm tones was requested.

The design, making, and installation

The design of the glass wall sculpture consisted of 70 hand blown glass forms.

To finish the glass forms, each piece was ground and polished as needed.

To make sure the proper placement of each glass form was correct; a full scale template was made.

For the final installation, each glass form was carefully adhered to the wall one at a time. This ensured for proper placement of each piece.

The video shows a time lapse start to finish in creating this glass wall sculpture installation.

By Bernard Katz

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

This contemporary art glass wall sculpture installation was commissioned by the Endo Corporation located in Malvern, PA.

This modern glass art design was inspired by the surrounding environment of a nearby rock quarry.

The warm color tones and grays of the hand blown glass forms play off of the view of the rock quarry.

This glass sculpture installation was facilitated through Kate Sweeney, Founder of Perspective, an art advisory firm based in London, UK.

To read more about the making of this glass sculpture and see a step by step time lapse video – Making Glass Wall Sculpture Installation

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

Custom hand blown glass is something we do. Creating custom work can be fun and interesting… And at times, the creative process for custom work can lead to other ideas to explore in our glass sculpture.

There can be a lot of misconceptions in what is involved when making custom hand blown glass. People and clients sometimes say to me, “You blow glass so you should be able to make anything, right?”

I usually respond, “Well yes… and no.”

I like to think anything is possible. After all, we sent a man to the moon. Which brings me to one of the first considerations – budget. Having a rough idea of a potential client’s budget is important. It is important because the custom work being inquired about may not be possible due to budget constraints. We may have to rethink the approach to design and concept of the project or glass sculpture in order to bring the cost within the client’s budget.

3D model of glass sculpture

When simple may be difficult

Creating certain visual elements with hand blown glass may be extremely difficult to achieve. Sometimes to achieve a seemingly simple visual element may require substantial time, planning, and resources. This can add to the overall cost and time for the project.

Exact requirements

Exact requirements may include color and size. For example, a custom glass sculpture that has to be exactly 19.5 inches tall versus a range between 18-20 inches may be more expensive. This is because everything is handmade. Many pieces may have to be made in order to achieve very exact requirements in size and color.

Additional work involved

Rarely can I just pick up a blow pipe for a custom glass project. The scope of a project may require some of the following before actually creating the final piece or installation.

• Simple to detailed drawings
• Color samples to be made
• Hardware and fabrication considerations
• Special shipping requirements

These examples can add considerable time to a project. Understanding a client’s expectations is important. Sometimes the additional work is needed for clarity between us and our clients for a successful project.

Making custom hand blown glass for a project, sculpture, or installation can be fun, exciting, and challenging… But it is usually not quite as simple as one might think.

By Bernard Katz

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

Shipping glass sculpture

Packaging and shipping hand blown art glass sculpture may seem like an afterthought to some. However, making sure your art work has arrived unbroken does take some special care.

We are often asked by customers about how we will ship their newly acquired glass sculpture. They may express concern about possible damage during shipping… After all it is glass and glass can be fragile.

Each piece we make has unique qualities in size and shape. This can make properly packing our work for shipping a challenge. Because we have years of experience in shipping hand blown art glass all over the world, we understand how to safely and efficiently package our work for transit to your location.

Why can it take a long time to package our work?

The amount of time it takes to prepare and expertly pack our glass work can vary greatly depending on the piece.

Shipping companies such as United Parcel Service (UPS) have strict guidelines we need to adhere to.

We always ‘insure’ our work with our shipping carriers, adhering to their insurance guidelines.

International shipping can also present an array of rules and regulations for shipments to other countries. Our experience shipping to international destinations has allowed us to make this process as smooth as possible.

Shipping Art Glass Sculpture Video

In this video, we show an entertaining quick view of Bernard packing a Trans Bolinas glass sculpture for shipping. Real time for preparing and packing this particular piece can be 20-30 minutes. Other glass sculptures can take as long as an hour to ready for shipping.

An hour may seem like a long time to package some of our art work… But making sure our work arrives safely to you is very important.

By Bernard Katz

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

Autumn Foliage Vessel

The Autumn Foliage Series of hand blown art glass was inspired by the fall colors found during autumn. Pennsylvania is a great place to be this time of year.

As the fall season is approaching, I enjoy reflecting on this art glass work I created many years ago.

I grew up and live in this part of the world. Living here, it’s not hard to take inspiration from the changing autumn foliage.

In the autumn, the leaves of many trees found in Pennsylvania begin their colorful transformation. From dark reds and oranges to vibrant yellows, the color variation can be amazing.

Making the Autumn Foliage glass vase

Tall Autumn Foliage Vase

I used actual maple leaves from my backyard. Selecting different size leaves, I created a pattern from the leaves for a stencil. I had the stencil made by ‘laser’ cutting the image of the maple leaves from a thin sheet of brass plate.

Before blowing glass, I placed the stencil with the image of maple leaves on a hot steel plate. I sprinkled a combination of different colored ‘glass’ powders onto the stencil. The colored glass powder creates the image of fall leaves.

During the glass blowing process, the glass powder leaves in fall colors will be applied to the body of the glass vase. After forming the basic shape of the vase, I rolled the hot glass vase over the stenciled leaf image. The transferred image of leaves is then melted into the surface of the glass.

The leaf lid was a bit more complicated. First, I sculpted a ‘leaf’ finial out of hot glass. The glass leaf finial was kept in an oven at around 1000 degrees while I made the main part of the lid. The glass leaf was then attached to the lid using hot torches.

With the leaf lid completed, the autumn foliage inspired art glass vase is done… Showcasing the fall colors of my favorite season!

By Bernard Katz

Autumn Foliage Bowl

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

Is Your Glass Art Valuable?

3 ways to tell if your glass art is valuable… there may be more ways, but most likely there are less.

Attaching a value to art in general is very tricky. The price of art compared to its value can be very different.

Things people collect, whether it is art, antiques, or something rare and unique, are generally valued at what someone is willing to pay. There are many factors involved in determining an object’s value.

Value Factors for Glass Art

The following factors can help determine if your glass art or glass sculpture is valuable.

• Is it “handmade”?

There is a definite value placed on objects having been handmade. A certain amount of uniqueness can usually be found in handmade objects. Even in objects from a repeated design will have unique attributes when they have been made by hand.

If I were to make 10 hand-blown glass vases the same shape, color, and size, they might appear to be identical at first glance. The handmade process will inevitably reveal small differences in each vase. These small differences gives each glass vase unique “character” often desired by collectors.

Handmade doesn’t necessarily equate to quality. It just means a machine didn’t make it.

• Is there a signature of the artist or maker?

A signature or maker’s mark is simply to say a particular person, studio, or company made the glass art.

The reputation of the artist, studio, or company behind the signature can play a part in an object’s value.

• How “unique” is the glass art?

It can be enormously tricky to apply a value towards glass art in particular. Sometimes a one-of-a-kind object is considered more valuable than a repeated design. A repeated design may be more valuable than a one-of-a-kind piece or sculpture based on its “significance”.

Value is Connected to Significance

Significance is actually one of the top factors in determining the value of glass art and contemporary glass sculpture. In fact, significance creates the value in just about everything.

The significance of an object may include many factors. It could have historical significance. It could have developmental significance. Its significance could be the many ways it is unique.

How an inexpensive object becomes valuable

A person once asked me if I could repair their glass vase. The damage was minor and repairable. However, the cost for me to do the repair was 3 times what the person originally paid for the glass vase.

The person was more than happy to pay for the repair because the glass vase held enormous “emotional” value to them.

The significance in “emotional” value can create a value that is priceless.

There may be 3 ways or many ways to tell if your glass art is valuable… But no one can argue the value it may hold for you.

By Bernard Katz

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

A short video clip of Bernard Katz with his glass blowing team blocking and papering a hot gather of glass. This is the final gather of glass for a custom glass sculpture. The video clip was taken during one very hot humid day in August.  When glass blowing wet wooden blocks and wet folded newspaper is used to shape hot gathers of glass. The hot glass is actually riding on a thin layer of steam between either the wet wooden block or wet newspaper. The blow pipe has to be constantly turning when riding on this layer of steam. If the blow pipe stops turning while in contact with the wooden block or paper, the hot glass will stick to the block or paper. When hot glass sticks to a block or paper flaws and unwanted marks may be created.

When reversing the turning blow pipe in another direction, Bernard ever so slightly pulls the block or wet paper away from the hot glass gather. This prevents the glass from sticking, and creating a unwanted mark.

Because the glass is very hot, you can see Bernard’ s assistant shielding his arm from the heat with wooden paddles.

A small glimpse into the day in a life at Bernard Katz Glass studio making art glass sculpture. A four part video series on this day of glass blowing while making a custom glass sculpture.

Links to parts in this video series

• blocking and papering hot glass
• marving hot glass sculpture
• necking glass with jacks
• using torches on glass sculpture

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture

A short video clip of Bernard Katz glass blowing shaping a hot glass sculpture on a marver table. This video clip shows Bernard Katz marving hot glass on the marver table to chill and shape areas of the glass piece in progress. The thick steel table is called a “marver”. A marver table is an essential piece of equipment in any glass studio. The cold steel table pulls heat from the hot glass. This allows the glass blower to chill certain areas of a glass piece while shaping the form.

You can see Bernard’ s finger tips rolling the blow pipe to shape the glass form. This rolling motion needs to be very smooth and consistent, otherwise flat spots may be created.

A small glimpse into the day in a life at Bernard Katz Glass studio making art glass sculpture. A four part video series on this day of making custom glass sculpture.

 Links to parts in this video series

• blocking and papering hot glass
• marving hot glass sculpture
• necking glass with jacks
• using torches on glass sculpture

Bernard Katz Glass - contemporary glass sculpture