Art Glass Tiles - From the Ordinary to the Extraordinary

OK, you've decided that glass tiles are perfect for your project - so where do you go from here? What are your options?

A lesser known option is to explore "art glass tiles". These are made by studio glass artists in smaller lots and are generally made specifically for a client or project. Generally these tiles can be customized specifically to a client's color, texture, style and size preferences and even incorporate custom designs to match other motifs in the room. For example, would you like your tiles to match certain fabrics, a specific paint color or type of stone? Would you like a continuous wall panel or smaller accent tiles? These are the types of variation that can be specified when ordering art glass tiles.

The versatility of art glass tiles textures and appearance is at best, very difficult to emulate on a manufacturing line. The glass artisan specializing in tiles has many glass colors and styles to choose from when creating these works of art just as a painter has myriad shades of colors on their palette. And as the application is specifically designed for, there might be a little more effort involved in having tiles "made to order", but the result will truly be one-of-a-kind.

To stretch your budget, consider using factory glass tiles as the "field tiles" and mixing in custom art glass "accent tiles". Field tiles make up the bulk of the tiles in any project whereas accent tiles can be incorporated in much smaller quantities. Glass Art accessories such as accent tiles are the ideal solution for enhancing any room. Combine glass with woods, metals and textiles to create dynamic, memorable interior designs.

Another possibility when working with glass tiles is matching your custom art glass tiles to custom glass vessel sinks or art glass lighting such as chandeliers, pendants and sconces. There are very few mediums that offer this type of design versatility. The work of glass artisans can be coordinated to go far beyond simple wall covering, to create several coordinating functional works of art for your home.

To explore the custom glass option that is right for you, you can go to favorite artists or go to a custom glass dealer. Major tile dealers tend to deal in high volume sales, and are not usually positioned to offer art glass solutions. Instead, as art glass grows in popularity, and the internet is increasingly adopted as a low-cost distribution and promotion mechanism, we are seeing a trend towards glass art collectives and glass art dealers on the web. These organizations showcase the work of several artists; and provide services that range from simple sales channels to design support for integrated glass design for the home.

An example of such a service is the Glass Artists Gallery . They have been helping designers and homeowners all across North America with art glass tiles, lighting, sinks and other functional glass art for years. They are not really a "brick and mortar gallery" but rather a resource for the trade and discerning homeowners for functional and architectural glass.

Jack Healy is part owner of Functional Art Gallery, LLC - Functional Art Gallery - a growing family of online resources for the designer, architect, builder and discerning homeowner. The company focuses on handcrafted functional & architectural works of art for both residential and commercial projects. The Functional Art Gallery family includes Glass Artists Gallery, Sinks Gallery and Art Lighting Gallery. Together these resources provide the largest collection of artisan and designer products available in North America.

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From Ordinary to Stunning - Tiffany Glass, Part 2

In continuing our study of Tiffany Glass and the various techniques that Mr. Tiffany used in his creations of his famous Tiffany Lamps, let us look into other methods that he used.

In order to create the illusion of foliage a process known as Fracture Glass was used. It would create thin, irregular shaped, wafers of glass that was affixed to the surface of the glass. Large bubbles were made in the molten glass by forcefully blowing into a long blowpipe creating large thin bubbles that stretched the glass. The bubbles would cool, harden and then quickly be smashed and broken into small pieces of shard. These small, irregular pieces of glass would then be pressed into the glass during the rolling process and become permanently fused.

In addition to this process, Mr. Tiffany would combine the process of Fracture Glass and Streamer Glass, as previously discussed in part 1, in order to create the combination of streamers and thin glass wafers. This would give the illusion of foliage, grass, and branches as seen from a distance. Both streamers and fracture glass was added to the glass during the rolling process and became a permanent part of the glass.

Ring mottle glass was a process created by Mr. Tiffany in the early 20th century. Ring mottle glass is characterized by irregular arrangements of patches of color. It is created by localized heat treated opacification and crystal growth patterns. Tiffany's style exploited glass and all its characteristics in order to create and design without using paint or other elements in his designs. Ring mottle glass was used so extensively that he relied little on painted details.

Last, but not least, is Drapery Glass. This type of glass Mr., Tiffany used in creating his large ecclesiastical stained glass windows. He used this method numerous times to give the effect of flowing robes or angel wings. The process was done to hot molten glass by using a small diameter hand held roller that is manipulated forcefully over a sheet of glass to produce heavy ripples. At the same time as the ripples were created the entire sheet of glass was folded and creased. The making of drapery glass involved skill and experience. As the glass cools, the ripples harden and become a permanent part of the texture of the glass. Each time this process was used it created a unique piece of glass, never another like it.

As we can see from the study of the designs of glass that Tiffany used, from the opalescent glass, to Favrile, to streamer and fracture glass, ripple and ring mottle glass, each technique produced a certain look and feel that Mr. Tiffany was trying to create in his lamps, and stained glass windows. As varied as nature is in color, design and beauty Mr. Tiffany tried to recreate in glass. His attention to detail and precision in duplicating textures and colors laid the groundwork for the must stunning pieces of glass artwork ever manufactured.

When choosing a Tiffany Lamp be sure to take your time and analyze the fixture you are interested in and try to capture the feel and effect of the lamp. Mr. Tiffany and the "Tiffany Girls" were truly master artisans and created works of stained glass as brilliant as nature herself. Using and combining several different methods of working the glass made his creations come to life and will undoubtedly add character and beauty to your home.

Darrell and Pat Schroeder are the owners of TiffanyLampsMarket.com. All lamps are one of kind pieces, hand crafted, hand cut and high heat hand soldered stained glass. You cannot find a higher quality, factory fresh Tiffany Style Lamp on the market. Visit http://www.TiffanyLampsMarket.com for all your Tiffany Lamp needs. Free shipping within the US and discounted pricing.

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