Description
Pizzichillo & Gordon 15.5" Studio Art Glass Bowl 7.75" tall No cracks, chips, or restorations.
Bruce Pizzichillo and Dari Gordon are internationally known artists who create
large, colorful handblown glass vases, sculptural vessels and bowls as well as
intriguing glass and mixed media sculptures. Using glassmaking techniques that
are thousands of years old, along with many of their own invention, Bruce and
Dari melt glass in furnaces that are designed for work in multiple colors. They
achieve a palette of distinctive colors by mixing various metallic oxide
formulations containing gold, silver, cobalt and others, into the molten glass.
They heat the raw materials in large ceramic pots inside a glass furnace at
temperatures in excess of 2400 degrees Fahrenheit. As the molten liquid glass
achieves a working temperature, the artists gather the fluid substance onto the
end of a five foot long steel pipe or rod. They blow, manipulate and shape the
mass of molten glass, constantly spinning it and dipping it back into the pot
for additional gathers if the piece is exceptionally large. For decoration, they
apply shards, frit, bits and strings of colored glass that they have pre-made to
the hot surface of the glass, and then reheat the piece to fuse the elements to
the surface. When they complete the blowing and shaping process, they remove the
piece from the pipe and place it into an annealing oven, where it will cool
slowly over a specific period. In general, the larger and thicker the piece, the
longer the time required for it to anneal. If not properly annealed, the piece
will shatter when exposed to room temperature. Finally, the artists inspect each
piece to determine if it meets their standards for first quality. They then
proceed with the finishing work, which can include cutting, grinding and
polishing before signing the completed piece. Depending on the size and
complexity of the piece, the artists may reject half the pieces they make, or
more, for lacking the requisites of first quality. Bruce studied at the
University of New Mexico and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in glass from
the California College of Arts & Crafts, where he studied with world-renowned
glass artist Marvin Lipofsky. Bruce has worked with glass since 1976.
