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Seekers® Glass Gallery
presents handblown glass by Roger Vines, who creates a variety of small
sculptural pieces and ornaments, all distinguished by rich iridescent colors and
classical shapes.
Following traditional
glassblowing methods that are thousands of years old, each piece is individually
created at the end of a five foot long metal blowpipe.
A master of this ancient art
form, Vines batches his own glass, using formulations of various metallic oxides
to create a wide array of distinctive colors.
The glass is worked at
temperatures in excess of 2200 degrees F. and is formulated using Mount St.
Helens ash as a key ingredient.
His color formulations combine
various metallic oxides such as cobalt, gold, silver, copper and others, which
he mixes into the molten glass.
Surface iridescence is achieved
by fuming the glass with a special blend of metallic salts and acids while it is
still on the pipe.
His Heart Ornaments are
blown into a special mold Vines created that yields a full, puffy shape that
evokes the image of a Victorian valentine.
Ethereal swirls of two colors,
encased in clear crystal, distinguish his Vale Egg series. Window Eggs
feature a cut and polished facet through which the viewer can see the design
inside the egg, which has a frosted iridescent exterior.
A cut and polished facet
reveals interior reflections of a lacy design inside Vines’ Lace Window
Perfume Vials, which are created in soft blue, purple, ruby pink and green.
Vines began working in glass in
1968 and maintains a studio, Vines Art Glass, in the Seattle area. The
enterprise is a true family affair, with Vines’ wife Genevieve and their three
grown children all working full time in the studio.
His work has received awards in
national and international exhibitions and is included in the permanent
collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.
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