Murrini Muses #4
6 1/2 inches high x 5 inches wide x 5 inches deep
Murrini are unique combinations of canes, clear glass, and/or glass colors that are fused together into patterns that are heated and drawn out into long tubes. Creating a typical murrini design is a process of first making cane, cooling it down, and cutting it into individual lengths of about 5-6 inches. Depending upon the thickness of the cane, it can cool down in about an hour and be used immediately or it will need to be placed into a kiln (an annealer) for about 24 hours. Often the individual canes are then assembled around a solid central clear or colored glass rod (also 5-6 inches long). This assembled glass is then heated up, melting all the multiple pieces of glass together into a single cylinder shape. It is then pulled into a longer cylinder of equal diameter and desired length, and then annealed to allow for it to cool down.
Once cooled down (which can take be up to 24 hours), the cylinder is then chopped up into individual disks that are ¾-1 inch thick. Now the ends of the canes there were applied to the outside of the central core appear as round colored dots around a central core or square of either clear or colored glass. These slices of murrini can be applied to the surface of a vessel individually or in patterns, resulting in endless combinations, and an explosion of color, patterns, and designs. Then the vessel is placed in the annealer for another 24 hours.