Thomas Long Glass

Glass blowing is not for the faint of heart...

Take Thomas Long for example...

The furnace is hot ~ 2100 to 2400 degrees...

Yikes!

The construction meticulous or else....



From his website I gleamed this information ~

The Work: During the last few years I have been focusing on large architectural, sculptural installations out of blown glass. The process starts out with a sketch which I do on site if possible. Once the design is finished, I hand blow each piece and lay out each part of the sculpture into the evolving work. I then template the piece and fabricate my framework to secure the sculpture. The usual turn around for a custom wall sculpture is about 2 months or less depending on location. I have work in homes and commercial spaces throughout the US, and have my work in collections in Hong Kong, the UK, and traveling the seas on a luxury cruise ship. Please visit my video page to see the process of blowing glass in the studio.

About the Glass: In the studio we have an electric furnace that maintains the temperature of the glass between 2100-2400 degrees. The clear glass that we use is from the Phillips company and is shipped from Holland. It contains pure refined quartz with virtually no impurities. In my work I utilize the highest quality glass colors available internationally today, which enables the rich colors to come through in my glass and patterning.

Green info: We strive to limit any waste in our studio. Waste glass is reduced through our streamlined process in our hotshop and any leftover glass is recycled and used by a glass artist in North Carolina to make seaglass candles.

The results are spectacular...




Want more? Watch this video of Thomas and assistant creating ONE piece for a wall sculpture.


Gorgeous, just gorgeous!