Stephen Rolfe Powell's Process
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How do Stephen Rolfe Powell’s vibrantly colored and peculiar shaped creations emerge from a blob of molten glass? In this image-to-image sequence, follow Powell’s artistic process as he and his team bring a piece from his “Screamers” series to life. See images of Powell's work at his web site. |
1. Powell begins with several “gathers,” picking up layers of molten glass on a long metal tube with several firings in the furnace. |
2. Bit by bit, he shapes the thickening glass on a flat metal table. |
3. Powell uses a wet copy of The Wall Street Journal to shape and smooth the glass. |
4. Once he has gathered enough glass, Powell heats up the shape once again and then rolls it across a preset arrangement of small, colored glass murrini. |
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5. Using torches, the team carefully brings the desired shape to life. |
6. In a choreographed set of movements, the group uses elevation to help bring out the desired shape during the final blowout. Finally, the finished piece emerges from the high-energy process. |
