We have glass on our minds with the October/November Glass Issue of American Craft. Artists who work primarily with glass and enameling techniques manipulate their material in mind-boggling ways. Glass is solid, but breakable. It can be heated, molded, and twisted into intricate shapes. In other words, glass is complex.

Glass has long been a medium artists have explored. In fact, it’s believed that humans began working and creating with glass around 4,000 years ago. Since then, more than a few modifications have been made to how artists work with the material. Today, glass artisans continue on the tradition of working with glass in a variety of methods. Glassblowing, casting, enameling, flameworking, and fusing are some of these techniques. The artists below each execute their craft in a different way, bringing life to their material and their medium as a whole.

Alexandra Lozier is a glassblower and silversmith who incorporates organic found objects into her stunning jewelry pieces. The results are wearable, one-of-a-kind art pieces.
 

Photos: Ron Boszko

Jessica Calderwood uses glass enamel and metalworking processes as a means to make statements about contemporary life. The enamelwork employs traditional enamel painting techniques, which involve applying thin layers of finely ground glass frit and oxides with repeated firings.
 

Photos: Jessica Calderwood

Melissa Schmidt is a self taught glass artist, focusing on Borosilicate glass as her material of choice. Borosilicate glass is stronger than soft glass, which is primarily used by beadmakers.
 

Photos: Courtesy of the artist

Amy Lemaire often works with glass by flameworking the material. Flameworking (also known as lampworking or torchworking) is the technique of taking glass rods or tubes and heating them in a concentrated flame until they become soft. The pieces below are flameworked soda-lime glass, which have then been coldworked. Lemaire is also director of the Bead Project, which is featured in American Craft.
 

Photos: Amy Lemaire

Debra Adelson specializes in glass engraving and coldworking, meaning she manipulates glass without using any heat. She starts with the glass in its solid form and manipulates it by laminating, coloring, sawing, carving, sanding, and sandblasting. 

Photos: Debra Adelson