Kathryn Weiss

Colored glass, melted and shaped by fire, transforms white light into the colors we see.

Working with glass is a way of coloring light, transmitted through the transparent glass, or reflected from opaque glass. A layer of transparent glass over an opaque core creates a sense of depth and magnifies what lies beneath it. 

Flameworking, like any hot glass art, is a craft in which I never directly touch the surface while the piece is being created. The molten glass may be shaped by gravity, or with tools, but the first time a bead is touched by my hand is when I remove it from the kiln after it cools down.  Yet I am in control of what happens on the glass throughout the process: what colors are used, what order they are layered onto the bead, and the final shape the bead takes.

The glass I use is imported from Italy in a rainbow of colors, both opaque and transparent.   The range of possible color combinations, shapes, and designs is infinite.  Some of my beads have organic designs, with the surface of the bead manipulated with a tool to create swirls and other complex patterns.  Other beads are decorated with more precise designs using dots or thin lines to form intricate motifs. Many of my beads combine opaque and transparent glass in the same piece to create the illusion of depth within the bead. Pure silver foil and dichroic metal films add other effects to the glass.

Creating the beads in my studio means that I can begin with the final design in mind, and make beads to enhance the composition.  The beads I craft are the focus of the pieces and are combined with seed beads, metal beads, and crystals into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.