Glass Urchin

This form is made with an Italian glassblowing technique in which each thread-thin filament of white begins as a 3”x 8” cylinder of glass that is heated and drawn out into 40 feet of pencil thin cane. When cool, the cane is broken into 8” sections and picked up on the outside of another large cylinder. That, too, is pulled long and twisted while hot, creating the cane to be used in the final vessel. The cane is again broken short, then fused side by side and picked up on a collar of hot glass to be blown like a regular vessel. It is a long, challenging process, but the ethereal delicacy of the finished product is rewarding.

4-1/2″ Diameter

Photos by Lindsay Von Julin