Glass Blowing: A Technical Manual »

Aimed at novices, students, and enthusiasts, and featuring 200 color photos and drawings, this stunning work reveals the secrets of the glass blower's art.

This lavish volume celebrates the art of glass blowing by explaining the processes and illustrating the techniques with a dazzling array of finished pieces. Beginning with tools and equipment, it offers a practical overview of the basic techniques--how to gather molten glass from the furnace, shape glass, and use jacks--while making a variety of solid glass objects. Glass Blowing goes on to explain the importance of the punty iron and instructs on how to blow a tumbler, vase, bowl, and plate before advancing to the techniques needed to make stemware and handles. The use of color is one of the defining qualities of studio glass, and the author encourages the artist to experiment with a range of techniques to introduce color and originality to their work. Written by a professional glass blower and illustrated with 200 color photos.

Library Journal

This is a good overview of professional glass-blowing equipment, processes, and techniques. In explaining this physically demanding craft, Burke, who owns a studio in Wales, provides equipment diagrams and closeup photographs of the glass-blowing process. Techniques include making solid glass pieces, hollow blown objects, and stemware; additional photos depict the finished items. Aimed at beginners and students, this book will be useful in academic and public library arts and crafts collections. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.