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William Glasner
Medias Used or Areas of Interest:
Glass
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William Glasner has refined his leaf appliqué series since opening his studio in 1978. The series is distinguished by the leaf-shaped overlays decorating the vessel form. Each leaf is individually sculpted on the surface of the hot vessel from an applied, trailed-off teardrop of molten glass and fused to the surface, as if it were growing up the side of the piece. The Corning Museum of Glass has two examples in its permanent collection: a vase and a perfume bottle.
The leaf appliqué series includes an array of perfume bottles, vases and bowls. Within these categories, there is a wide variety of shapes, sizes, variations of leaf arrangements and colors.
The diversity of shapes in vases and bowls is the result of the interaction of the applied bit decoration and the form. Although all pieces start out round, the weight of the leaves effects the shape as the centrifugal force and gravity act on the hot form, pulling it into ovals, rounded triangles and squares with wavy, scalloped, folding or stretched rims, or forming wings. Rather than arbitrarily slapping a decoration onto a form, there is an organic, harmonious relationship between the two. In some cases, the final shape is the inevitable result of the decoration.
Recently most of the pieces have been carefully masked by hand and sandblasted, resulting in frosted leaves over a transparent body. The contrast between the glassy form and the satin leaves brings out the sculptural quality of the decoration, enhancing the feeling of the leaves holding or embracing the vessel form.
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