Perfection in Spun Glass Figurines

The beauty and perfection in spun glass figurines will intrigue and amaze those of all ages. Its fine blown glass has delicate threading and chiseled detail. Spun glass is also known as lace glass or lace crystal. You can find Spun glass figurines in a variety of flowers, animals, boats, angels, people, carousels and much more. The only limitation to this art is the imagination of the artist.

Spun glass figurines are a great gift idea and can be an expression of how you feel. A spun glass heart can show the love you have for that special someone, while a delicate spun glass figurine rose can be a lasting symbol of love or friendship. A detailed butterfly can represent the beauty of life unfolding in front of one's eyes and the mystical and magical fairies and dragons can mesmerize you. No matter what your interests you will find what you are looking for in this amazing perfection of glass.

In every Spun glass figurine the smooth curves, detailed and quality work will impress the youngest to the oldest. You can't go wrong giving a spun glass figurine as a gift for any occasion. These breathtaking figurines are a great way to bring awe inspiring beauty and grace to your home. Spun glass figurines are masterful pieces of art ranging in size, shape, and color. You will find some of the larger and harder pieces to make being sold primarily in galleries and specialty shops.

Have you ever thought of collecting something? You can have collections of anything from guitar pictures to baseball cards to figurines. Collecting is a fun and exciting hobby and what better item to collect then Spun glass figurines. The wide variety and sizes gives you an ever changing and thought provoking collection.

If your into Antiques, again Spun glass is for you. Antiques speak about the past, they provide you a small glimpse into the past providing you what a text book cannot. Giving you an intimate look into the decades long past. Antique Spun glass is not always the easiest to find, but with some time and effort you can add a piece of history to your collection or your home that speaks volumes about the people it once belonged to.

The most popular size of Spun glass figurines are the small ones, they are normally very affordable. Many companies will allow you to custom order your pieces. Allowing you to personalize your gift making it even more precious to that special someone, Mom, child etc. So when looking for that special gift, next sophisticated piece for you collection, or an eye catching addition to your decor, think Spun glass figurines there is no better artistic expression of glass.

Liz Thomas is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about perfection in spun glass figurines visit Collectable Figurines for current articles and discussions.

Hand Painting on Inside on Glass

Recently I discovered an exciting art form. It is called Reverse Hand Painting or NeQwa. The word NeQwa in the Chinese language means hand painting on inside on glass. This particular form of art began centuries ago in China. Originally the delicate painting was done on the inside of "snuff" bottles or other small glass containers. These objects were commissioned by Emperors and persons of high station and became quite valuable treasures.

This rare art form is still accomplished today in a studio in China where talented and patient artists paint designs created by North American and English artists in blown glass ornaments of various shapes and sizes. Famous artists such as Stewart Sherwood, Jim Shore, Susan Winget, G. DeBrekht, and Peggy Abrams create original designs for the paintings, many of the designs are limited editions for distributions to collectors and others who have no doubt received the ornaments as gifts and appreciated there untimely beauty.

The art form itself is most interesting. The glass is mouth blown using a special high grade of glass tubing. These pieces are etched on the inside to insure that when painted the paint will adhere to the glass. However, the etching makes it extremely difficult for the artist to see the brush inside and determine exactly where the paint stokes will be placed. Hence the need for both talent and patience!

The artist uses a combination of ink and paint, including acrylics, water colors and oils to create these delicate works of art. The first step is to develop the set of brushes needed to paint a particular design. These brushes are hand crafted by the artist to the exact size needed, some no larger than a single hair on your head. Unlike traditional painting, the artist begins with the foreground and then finally the background. The outline is first and painstakingly done with Chines ink and blended to create the dimensional effect of the finished product. Then the artist begins the first color. Each color is allowed to dry before continuing to the next color, and finally the colors are blended. Sometimes an ornament can be completed in hours and sometimes it takes several days.

The finished product is signed by the artist and authenticated by the company that commissioned it to assure that it is the real thing. It is then packaged in a lovely velour box which is satin lined and a certificate of authentication is placed inside. Some of the limited editions are packaged in leather boxes. The sets, which are comprised of ornaments not sold separately, are usually presented in finished wooden boxes with satin lining.

These objects of art are a delight to own and to receive as gifts. I personally have begun my collections starting with the Santa Collection and various Angels.

Battle of the Giants: Murano Glass Vs Bohemian Glass

Today, glass is created in many countries of the world, and many countries are developing reputation for outstanding glass art. But, for many centuries, there were two places that were producing great glass art - Murano in Italy, and several places in Bohemia, what is today Czech Republic.

Murano glass
Small Italian island Murano, in the Venetian lagoon, was the center of the world glass production from the 14th century. Famous for their blown glass of exquisite shapes and forms, Murano artists developed many new techniques that are used even today, such as crystalline glass, enameled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicolored (millefiori), milk (lattimo), to mention just a few.

Murano glass was also famous for its colors. The ways to color was by using different coloring agents and chemicals. A coloring agent was ground, mixed and then melted with the glass. Many of these coloring agents are still used today.

For many centuries, Murano was the center of a lucrative export trade in dinnerware, chandeliers and mirrors. The techniques Venetian glass makers used were kept in great secrecy, so Murano managed to retain the monopoly in glass making for centuries. What made Murano so different in composition from all others was that the local quartz pebbles were almost pure silica, ground into very fine sand. Combined with soda ash from the Levant, Murano makers were able to produce glass of exceptional quality. It helped that they held a monopoly for the soda ash import.

Bohemian glass
What makes Bohemian glass or bohemian crystal so different from Murano is that it is decorated by grinding, the technique called cold-worked glass. This technique was used in Bohemia (today Czech Republic) and Silesia (today Poland) since the 13th century. Many of the best Bohemian glass makes were originally trained in Venice, which was already the world center for the making.

Bohemian glass owes its original popularity to the gem faceting fashion that swept Europe in the 14th century. Glass was faceted to imitate real gems in response to the demand for affordable, but nice looking jewelry. This created a large cottage industry for making beads, which are even today the main products coming from this region. The technique for making Bohemian beads involved pressing melted glass into a mold, allowing the production of thousands of identical copies. The glass beads were then coated by gold or bronze metal finishes.

Competition between Bohemian and Murano makers had always been fierce, in spite the fact that they produced very different glass art objects, using very different techniques. Murano was always famous for its unique glass making techniques, for blown glass and for objects made by hand, even when it came to glass beads.

The Bohemian glass was cold-worked crystal glass decorated by grinding, and the beads were and are still, made by a machine. This division is extended to the contemporary glass lovers who are also clearly divided to those who prefer one kind of glass over other, particularly when it comes to glass beads. Fortunately for both Murano and Czech bead makers, there are enough of fans of both kinds, to allow thriving beads industry, and thriving beads making hobby all over the world.

Stained Glass Artists: Four Names Every Stained Glass Artisan or Enthusiast Should Know

Almost any stained glass gallery is likely to contain one or more works inspired by the artists described below. These stained glass artists not only had their own signature style, but also changed the world of stained glass art in some significant way. Five artists who had a lasting influence on the highly specialized art form known as stained glass are:

    Louis Comfort Tiffany: He is undoubtedly one of the most well known of all the artists. He used individual pieces of glass to develop windows and mosaics that had the same level of detail as paintings. Tiffany also developed the copper foil method, which allowed pieces of art to be produced in three dimensions. "Tiffany-style" lampshades are widely recognized examples of his signature style. Notable projects he completed include a commission for the White House and windows for the John the Baptiste church in Boston.
    Frank Lloyd Wright: An architect and a designer, Frank Lloyd Wright is best known for his prairie-style designs. Hallmarks of his works are clean, straight lines, simple geometric shapes (most often squares and rectangles), and vibrant, bold colors. His style is highly appealing to those who prefer looks that are more contemporary.
    John La Farge: Born in 1835, La Farge was a writer and a painter in addition to being one of history's most important stained glass artists. One of his most impressive contributions was his invention of opalescent glass. Now widely used by artisans, opalescent glass is special because it contains more than one color. Many of La Farge's masterpieces are displayed in churches, including the Trinity Church in Boston and St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University.
    Harry Clarke: This Dublin-born artist was an important part of the country's arts and crafts movement. He produced well over 100 works that were both religious and secular in nature. One of the defining features of Clarke's works was his use of rich colors, blues in particular. He created the windows for the Honan Chapel in Cork as well as a window inspired by one of John Keats's poems: "The Eve of St. Agnes".

When browsing a gallery, it might not always be immediately obvious which artist inspired a certain piece. Today's artists have the advantage of being able to incorporate several styles and influences into a single work. This has allowed them to craft windows and other architectural features that combine elements from the past with their own original ideas and techniques.

Stained Glass Inc. has hundreds of design options for your next stained glass project. Visit Stained Glass Art to learn more.

Woven Glass

Woven Glass is unique and singular in its appeal. Constructed of compatible pieces of glass, these elements are then assembled, as one would imagine a fine tapestry would be. Taking into consideration colors, thickness and texture of both the "warp and weft" glass, the glass artist creates a truly multi-faceted sculpture which allows the viewer the freedom and pleasure of exploration, calling for ones hand to make contact with this movement of colored glass as it floats in its seemingly impossible form.

The true magic in creating this type of glass art lays heavily in the knowledge of kiln management. There must be willingness by the artist to recycle numerous works before acquiring a level of insight and control over the medium. And even with this information well documented, one is never to sure what will emerge from out of the kiln after a firing schedule is completed. Trail and error periods in an artists coming to terms with this direction of glass art is par for the course and very meaningful in the reaching a high standard of gallery and museum quality works of art.

A new interest is coming alive in Woven Glass Art, as gallery owners and art dealers survey the glass landscape for the few gifted orators of this style of glasswork.

And although many people working in the realm of blowing and fusing glass have tried their hand at weaving, very few have attained the mastery, understanding and patience required to produce these wonders of art.

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Using Mirrors As Art

Finding the perfect piece of artwork for a room can be an almighty task and it can take months to find something that matches the styling, colours and features of the décor and can also be extremely expensive. This is why many people are now considering the use of mirrors as an alternative.

Manufacturers have picked up on this trend and rather than simply designing mirrors for their functional capabilities, are now using reflective glass to create stunning pieces of art. Coming in a huge variety of shapes and sizes, the benefits of using mirrors as art are phenomenal. Not only do they reflect the colours of the room, but they also glisten and sparkle if positioned in a way that catches light. They can even create the illusion of space, making a room appear larger than it actually is.

Mirrors as art can take many different forms. It may be that the amounts of actual reflect glass used is minimal and it is the frame that creates the masterpiece. Much like a painting or photograph, the correct mounting or framing of a mirror can completely transform the way it appears on your wall.

In complete contrast the mirror may not have a frame at all and could be made from multiple glass fragments (known as multi-facet mirrors). These mirrors are created as works of art from the off-set and can often be commissioned as one off bespoke pieces using a combination of coloured glass as well as plain reflective glass.

As mirrors are essentially pieces of glass, they can even be cut so that stunning bevels and patterns are left on the surface of the glass. Meaning it is possible to personalise a mirror with a certain image or name, a concept that has been used in advertising, most commonly recognised on the walls of public houses where the brewer has had their brand etched on the glass.

With so much detail and crafting involved, you could be forgiven for assuming that this type of artwork would be costly, but rest assured that as it becomes increasing popular and manufacturers are able to produce large batch orders, in many cases they are cheaper than more traditional center pieces.

The beauty of using a mirror as art though is that the main image is constantly changing as the reflection changes - contemporary art at its greatest!

Most people use art to create a feature or focal point within their room, for example using paintings, canvases or photographs in a hallway, on the wall above a bed, over a fireplace or mantle piece and this is exactly where a mirror could take pride of place. Much like 'photo walls' and more conventional art forms, mirrors do not have to be used in isolation and using more than one mirror can create intrigue or a larger display.
What's more, if you decide to change the colour scheme of your room, in the majority of cases you would need to buy new artwork to match, whereas with a mirror it would simply reflect the new pallet.

So, next time you redecorate; why not consider using mirrors as art. With a huge variety of shapes, sizes and 'topics', it could make finding that perfect piece of artwork a whole lot easier and is certainly more accessible.

There is a huge selection of large, glass framed and over sized mirrors available at .

Or why not consider a row of smaller mirrors, this will have the same reflective effect as a large mirror but may suit your decor better.

Stained Glass Art - How to Paint a Christmas Tree Bauble (Bulb) Ornament

Hand painted Christmas bauble ornaments can be an exciting craft project for the entire family. They can be for your family's tree or be used as gifts from your children to their relatives. They are inexpensive and are not difficult to make.

The supplies can be purchased from a local craft store. You will need are as follows:

• Clear Plastic Baubles split in half preferred, but can use whole ones
• Christmas patterns small enough to fit on Bauble
• Small Bag of Artificial Snow
• Tracing Paper
• Tape
• Pencil, Soft
• Scissors
• Black Outline Pen
• Glass Paints (colors of your choice)
• Small Paint Brush

1) Select the Christmas pattern to be used and trace as many patterns as you wish to paint. Use the tracing paper over the pattern and trace all of the lines using the sharp soft pencil.

2) For the Bauble halves, roughly cut each traced pattern out using scissors and make slits along the sides so the pattern will fit inside the concave side of the Bauble. For the full sphere bauble cut on the line of the pattern so the pattern can be drawn around.

3) If you have a two piece bauble, split into two halves. Select one half and place the pattern inside of it at the location you want. Tape it in position. If a you can only find a spherical bauble, place the traced pattern on the outside surface of the bauble in the position you want and tape it in place.

4) For the Bauble half, carefully support the underneath side of the Bauble with your hand while drawing on the plastic over the line on the pattern using the Black Outliner. Wait for the Outliner to dry before continuing. For the spherical Bauble, draw around the pattern onto the plastic surface of the Bauble with a China Marker. After the Chine Marker has dried remove the taped on pattern. Now, go over these lines with the Black Outliner and wait for it to dry.

5) For the Bauble half, after the Black Outliner has dried remove the taped on pattern from the inside of the Bauble.

6) Select the color of paint and carefully paint the inside of the pattern, rotating the Bauble to keep the paint area horizontal, which will keep the paint from accumulating in one area. When the paint of the main area is dry, continue painting the other designs by starting the central area and moving to the Back Outline.

7) A nice added touch is to write across the bottom of the Bauble the date and the name of the painter.

8) The two halves of the Bauble can be snapped together to make a spherical Bauble. The spherical Bauble can be partially or completely filled with artificial snow through the attachment hole on the top.

9) The wire top hook can be now placed in the Bauble and it is ready for hanging on a Christmas tree.

By hanging a professionally hand painted stained glass art piece on your wall or in your window you can create a bright and cheerful decoration for your home. When hung in the window, it will allow you and others to be reminded of beauty it brings to your room. By making an online order today, you can get these stained glass art panels faster and with more buying convenient. Doing one room at a time, it will allow you to create a unique room atmosphere for that room.

Bob McLemore invites you to view Stained Glass Merchant online store at StainedGlassMerchant.com/ [http://shop.stainedglassmerchant.com/] for Stained Glass Art for window and wall hangings, which has nine subject categories of stained glass art for windows or walls. Stained Glass Christmas Art for windows or walls can be found at Christmas Painted Glass Art. Information can be received by signing into his Guess Book at StainedGlassMerchant.com/Guestbook [http://www.stainedglassmerchant.com/Guestbook.php] where you can ask questions about the Stained Glass Art products.