Glass Painting – bespoken glass™

“Are you painting on glass?”
“No. I don’t use paint. I am painting with glass.”

I’ve had this conversation countless times. It all comes down to how and why.

Let’s begin with how. I fuse layers of glass together to form images and textures. This is a peek behind the scenes as I created a seascape painting.

My workbench is covered with all kinds of glass, test swatches, and notes when I paint with glass.

“Are you painting on glass?”
“No. I don’t use paint. I am painting with glass.”

I’ve had this conversation countless times. It all comes down to how and why.

Let’s begin with how. I fuse layers of glass together to form images and textures. This is a peek behind the scenes as I created a seascape painting.

My workbench is covered with all kinds of glass, test swatches, and notes when I paint with glass.

Every seascape needs sand. Crushed glass is fused to clear glass sheets. I tested several color combinations.

My dogs love the beach. Sand isn’t the same without some paw prints.
I wanted glass paw prints to look AND feel realistic.

Temperature plays a critical role. If the glass is not hot enough individual grains won’t fuse together. If the glass gets too hot the surface becomes smooth and the paw prints melt away into the glass sand.

Sand was just the beginning.

Creating realistic water was another adventure.

I could use glass sheets but sheets are solid colors. Water is more nuanced than that. Water has infinite blue shades. Using glass powders I mimicked water flow and color.

Changing the amount of powder and/or heat alters the glass color. I made several color swatches.

I had fun experimenting with different water texture techniques. You can be quite expressive with glass powders.

Shallow water looks different than deeper water. My first water tests explored deep water colors and textures. The ocean is always moving. I wanted to capture that movement in glass. This required building up several layers of glass powder.

When water touches the sand, it looks different. Shallow water is light and foamy. I created the sea foam separately.

Sea foam glass pieces are beautiful little jewels attached towards the end of the process. I added iridescence for extra sparkle and shine.

I had fun experimenting with different water texture techniques. You can be quite expressive with glass powders.

When water touches the sand, it looks different. Shallow water is light and foamy. I created the sea foam separately.

Sea foam glass pieces are beautiful little jewels attached towards the end of the process. I added iridescence for extra sparkle and shine.

After I determined how to make sand, paw prints, water and sea foam it was time to construct an image.

How will all of the components look together? It was time to test the order of operations. When you do something can be just as important as how you do it.

I made two samples … learned from them and made two more. For this painting I repeated that process twice, making the six samples you see here. Bigger squares provide more room to explore my water techniques. I had been designing, testing, and responding to glass experiments for several weeks. I was excited to begin the full 15″ x 9″ piece.

Glass is fired (heated) in a kiln to fuse layers together. My process required eight separate firings. Each firing cycle takes 12-19 hours and is heated between 1100ºF and 1500ºF. In total this glass painting spent 116 hours in my kilns.

After I determined how to make sand, paw prints, water and sea foam it was time to construct an image.

How will all of the components look together? It was time to test the order of operations. When you do something can be just as important as how you do it.

It was time for final touches. I polished the glass edges then put it back into the kiln. The glass was heated just enough to slump into the mold below it.

I love this wave shape. It echoes the seascape theme. The double curve shape allows the painting to stand vertically on its own.

Why do I love painting with glass?

I can make water look wet. I can make sand feel gritty. I can make paw prints sink into the sand. Glass is tactile in a way that paint is not. This glass painting begs you to touch it.

I love how glass plays with light. It can make a piece moody. Did you notice how different that final slide show image appears? The only difference is the lighting. Just like the ocean itself, the glass painting’s vibe changes each time I look at it. Glass reflects and transmits light uniquely.

That is the magic of painting with glass.

Sandy Paws

Sandy Paws

Why do I love painting with glass?

I can make water look wet. I can make sand feel gritty. I can make paw prints sink into the sand. Glass is tactile in a way that paint is not. (This glass painting begs you to touch it.)

That is the magic of painting with glass.