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Glass has become a material that we take very much for granted today. It appears in so many facets of lives as a purely functional product from its use in windows to kitchenware to communications.
However, this has not always been so; glass bottles were found in the tomb of Thutmose I of Egypt dating from 1500 BC. These bottles were less than five inches tall, were blue with yellow threads of glass applied to the outside as a decoration.
Those ancient people discovered some of the colorants that are used today: cobalt (blue), copper (green), and magnesium (purple). Glass was as much in demand as gemstones and was often used as a substitute for gems in objects of art.
Around 200 B.C., the Romans made plate glass for mosaics and wall decorations. Here they used a mould to contain and shape the blown glass. Later the Romans made cameo glass, worth more than gold and jewels.
With my glass designs I endeavour to capture the early spirit of glass as a rich and exotic decorative medium. I am always exploring new ways in which glass can be used in different environments and its possibilities for interacting with light to create varying perspectives of colour and form.
Metal is another material we have depended on for thousands of years, it has been essential to our progress, iron in particular being key to civilization. Ironworking, it is thought, may have begun around 6,000 years ago and the blacksmith’s art has always been held in esteem from times of the gods on Olympus.
The functionality of metal of course has been exhaustive – tools, transportation, weapons – the village ‘smith’ was essential within every community. The traditional, smith’s trade has been threatened most by mass production, but from this threat has evolved a rediscovery of its processes by the blacksmith artist of today.
The spirit and atmosphere of metalworking – the sound, the smell, the heat, and its product – tempered, strong, bearing the marks of the hammer, is quite different from the decorative light-play of glass. It is both a challenge and a thrill to combine these mediums.
I hope you enjoy browsing through some examples of my work and please feel free to enquire about any items displayed or ideas you may have for your own unique design!
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| © Jackie Richardson, Glass Design 2004 |
