Swirls, Squiggles and Ribbons #16
4 ½ inches high x 8 ¼ inches wide x 3 ¾ inches deep
Swirls and squiggles are created by blowing a vessel into a metal mold that has protruding internal ridges that then create indentations in the clear glass surface. The entire piece is then coated with powdered colored glass. The excess powdered glass is brushed off the surface leaving the colored glass only in the indentations. After twisting and smoothing out the ridges the piece is again blown into the optic mold, and now the ridges are twisted in the opposite direction. The result are lines of color that appear to be twisted on themselves, looking like curlicues of cane.
Ribbons of colored glass on the surface of a vessel are created by first heating a large chunk of colored glass, shaping it into the thickness of a pencil and applying it to the smooth surface of the rotating vessel in a continuous, unbroken line of colored glass. The process and the result is called a machine wrap. The vessel can then be blown into a metal mold to create jagged lines before being placed in the annealer.