Thursday Salute to Originals: Wood Enclosed Glass Vases
Wood and glass are two material staples in the world of architecture and design. Always elegant and timeless, it seems there is never a shortage of new and innovative ways in which these materials can be used together (just take our Flicche™ naturally translucent wood panels for instance!). We’re used to seeing new wood/glass infusions in larger architectural applications, but we recently came across these glass and wood sculptures that are functional and stunning at a smaller scale.
Artists Scott Slagerman and Jim Fishman have collaborated to create raw wooden sculptures with encased glass vases. Using various types of wood – from mesquite to walnut to madrone – and different types of glass – colors like amethyst, ruby, clear, green – molten glass is blown into an opening in the wood creating a unique shape for the vase.
But for us, the real appeal of these sculptural vases goes beyond the wood or the color or the shape. What we find most interesting about these pieces is the process. Crafting molten glass in a flammable structure seems like a disaster waiting to happen. And coaxing that glass it the nooks and crannies of the opening while still making it smooth and functional seems almost impossible. But these artists skillfully merge fragile, temperamental glass with raw, earthy wood resulting in a stunning (and unexpected) marriage of materials.
Today we’re saluting both Scott Slagerman and Jim Fishman for their innovative and elegant material fusion. Just another example of how the staple materials wood and glass can be combined to create interesting visual effects at any scale.
Sources: Scott Slagerman, This is Colossal