Painted Blown Glass Vase

Anthony Corradetti paints a distinctive geometric design on his blown glass vase.

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Filed under: Glass Blowing, Vases, How To, Art, Crafts

Anthony Corradetti of Baltimore, Md., paints on top of clear, white or black blown glass, which has resulted in a distinctive style of elegant vases, bowls and bottles.

Materials and Tools:

opal white glass
clear hot glass from the furnace
metallic oxide paints
gold paint
paintbrushes
kiln
blowpipe
punty rod
jacks
marver
flat press
annealing oven
heavy glass handling gloves
circle stencils
black marker
wet newspapers

Figure A

Steps:

1. Heat up white glass in the kiln.

2. Heat up a blowpipe.

3. Attach the white glass to the pipe.

4. Blow a small bubble into the white glass. Roll the glass across the marver to create the collar on the end of the pipe (figure A). Open up the collar with jacks.

Figure B

5. Pick up white glass on the end of the collar. Heat it up. Roll it across the marver to even it out (figure B). Blow a small bubble into the white glass.

6. Cover the white with clear glass from the furnace. Roll it across the marver. Blow a bubble into the pipe.

Figure C

7. Cover it a second time with clear glass from furnace. Blow a bubble to make it bigger and shape it by rolling it across a steel table. Place it in wet newspapers held in your hand, which creates a layer of steam to prevent it from burning (figure C).

Figure D

8. Heat it again and hold the rod so the glass is pointing down to stretch the neck, again while placing it in wet newspaper (figure D).

Figure E

9. Jack the neck at the top of the piece (figure E).

Figure F

10. Press a flat board on the bottom to create the bottom of the vase (figure F).

Figure G

11. Shape the sides of the piece with jacks. Heat the glass again in the furnace and shape with handheld wet newspapers (figure G).

Figure H

12. Transfer the glass vase to a punty rod by heating the piece, attaching a steel rod to the bottom and breaking away the blowpipe at the neck of the vase (figure H).

Figure I

13. Heat up the top of the glass vase and open it up using jacks (figure I). Stretch the neck out by pulling it away from you.

14. Heat up again and stretch it, then cut off the end.

15. Heat the blown glass vase and fire polish.

Figure K

16. Put the vase into the annealing oven.

17. After the blown glass vase has cooled, take the vase out of the oven. Draw a geometric design on the glass with a black marker and stencils (figure K). Paint the vase using brushes and metal oxides.

18. Put the vase back in the oven and fire.