In my March newsletter I mentioned that I was taking a Murrini / Cane / Vitrigraph Class in California. I took the class with Laurie Spray. I’ve made vitrigraph in other fused glass classes but it just touched on the technique.
Vitrigraph (Latin for Glass Writing) is pulling glass from a hot kiln. Typically an artist will put glass in a terracotta pot, put it in a kiln with a whole in the bottom and when it gets hot (15-1700 degrees), the artist pulls the glass through the hole in the bottom of the kiln.
The strings of glass can be used in so many way and it’s just fun to make. I pull tiny strings and thick pieces of glass as well. The vitrigraph string can be used to decorate glass or it can be made into a bowl all by it’s self. Hopefully I’ll have time to make something with the vitrigraph string that I made in class by the end of the month.
Murrini is patterns in a glass cane (long rod of glass). Similar to vitrigraph it’s made in a pot in the kiln and pulled out the hole in the bottom of the kiln again. A couple of differences are the way the pot is arranged with glass and how thick the glass is pulled. Once the cane is pulled it’s cut into slices and arranged in a design, typically in a mold.
I’ll blog more about murrini and vitrigraph as I learn more. The possibilities are endless and I love what can be created, even jewelry!
I really enjoyed the class. Laurie is a great teacher. She also makes amazing molds both stainless steel and ceramic. Additionally, her studio is in such a beautiful location I enjoyed the redwoods almost as much as I enjoyed the class.
If you would like to see more of my fused glass work please refer to my website Elegant Fused Glass by Karen.If you get a chance, check out all my sites, Fused Glass by Karen, My Etsy store, my Art fire Store, my Pinterest, and Elegant Fused Glass by Karen youtube.If you would like to stay abreast of what I’m up-to and learn a little more about jewelry, check out our newsletter. It is published the last day of each month.
