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Seekers® Glass Gallery presents the work of
Bernard Katz. Among Brenard’s designs are distinctive, engraved designs on
handblown glass vases, bowls and sculptural works. Bernard also has created a
series of vessel forms he calls "Root Vessels." These incorporate
intricate woven "roots" that circle and in some cases seemingly
support the vessel.
He begins his engraved designs by hand blowing
a glass vessel onto which his engraved design will be created. Some are blown in
a single transparent color which is encased in clear crystal for added
brilliance.
He designs and executes each piece himself,
using glassblowing techniques that date back to antiquity. His shapes are
created by freely manipulating the molten glass, without use of molds, at
temperatures in excess of 2000 degrees F
For his famous Tree Series, he blows vessels in
a transparent color accented by a darker, contrasting layer that is mostly
etched away to create the design. The metallic surface on the Tree Series is
achieved through a technique called reduction, in which glass with silver
nitrate in its formula is heated until the elements come to the surface, forming
a metallic skin.
The engraving process he uses dates back to the
1870s and involves high pressure etching with fine grain sand. The work is
tedious and risky, since one slip or mistake can destroy a piece.
Katz begins by masking the entire piece with
pressure resistant tape, onto which he draws his design in precise detail.
Although he may repeat themes, each work is unique, having been created to fit
the particular color and shape of the blank vase.
Using special blades, he cuts and removes
sections of tape one at a time as he engraves the design. Finally, each vase is
signed and dated.
He has worked in glass since 1986 and earned
his bachelor’s degree in Glassblowing and Sculpting from Temple University’s
Tyler School of Art. Following graduation, he worked with well known glass
artists Leon Applebaum, David Garcia and Samuel Bloom before setting out on his
own.
He has created work on commission from Hyatt
Regency, and his work is included in numerous private and public collections
throughout the United States. Recently, one of his pieces was presented to the
winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.
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