"Smile" - Fused Glass Nightlight
You can't help but break into a grin when you see this.. fun, yet functional. I have nightlights throughout my house, guiding me through the darkness. This piece is much harder to make than you would think at first glance. First I cut a base of white opaque glass in the shape of the entire piece. Next I cut an identical piece of red opaque glass - now comes the hard part…. I drill through the red glass to make an opening larger enough for a saw blade. Then I do an "inside cut" to completely remove the interior of the red glass, so that the white base glass will be revealed through the opening… this is what also provides the nice "glow" when it is lit. Lastly I had the teeth… tiny bits of glass rod that LOVE to roll all over the place…. I love this design because it is simple, yet says so much. This is a perfect gift for someone who "has everything" (except this cool little light). Custom orders for nightlights are most welcome… I can make one like this (nothing is ever completely identical, as they are handmade) or anything that you like!
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The mainstay of my shop is fused glass creations…. this can be a stand alone piece of glass, a mixed media composition (sculptural or wall-hung), or a functional piece of work (light fixtures, plates/trays/bowls,inserts for doors or cabinets, etc).
I most enjoy making custom pieces for folks… Because I am intuitive, after a short conversation I am able to "get that person" and design a piece that is "theirs".
While many glass artists began with stained glass and later transitioned to fused work, I have 20 years experience working in fused glass. I prefer fused glass for the following reasons:
- it is STRONGER than stained glass. Art glass is 1/8" thick; a stained glass pieces consists of a lot of 1/8" pieces of glass soldered together… which means that it is thin and with all of those joints, it has the potential to come apart.
Fused glass, on the other hand, is a SINGLE piece of glass; while an individual composition is comprised of as many (or more) pieces than a stained glass piece, everything is assembled in the kiln and fired into a single, final piece. Additionally, fused glass can be made as thick as you want…so, depending on the application, multiple layers of glass can be fused together (think "glass sink"). Really thick pieces are more expensive to produce because the firing process (bringing the heat up, ramping it down, and annealing) takes far longer - it is not uncommon for a firing process to take 20+ hours with a thick/large piece of glass.
Stained glass pieces have distracting solder lines which can detract from the overall design composition - fused glass has none of these distractions!
With fused glass, you have a larger "palette" to work from. You can "make your own glass" by pre-firing different glass together (to make polka dot glass, for example) and then cut it up for your design.. glass can be fired over and over in most instances.
All of my designs are from my own original drawings; if you have something specific in mind, I would be happy to work with you to create a working drawing for a project.
Technical excellence is evident throughout my pieces; I am a perfectionist when it comes to my work, and am willing to do "whatever it takes" to have a design materialize into the physical.
- BB
Bradley Barrios
For Bradley's Outdoor Installation5.0I enjoyed the whole process of working with Karla Ely. She kept me up to date on progress and consulted with me on decisions. I am thrilled with
the final outcome and look forward to working with Karla again. - B
Bob
For christmas ornament4.5Karla was extraordinary in the entire process. She kept up the lines of communication constantly, and always had very interesting ideas on how to go about such an elaborate piece of work. Even when a couple snags came to pass, she handled them wonderfully! And the finished piece? Not only did I love it, but the one who received it went out of control nuts! She is still talking about it and said after the Christmas season is done, and the tree comes down, she is going to hang it at her office. Job well done!
- PB
Pamela Buckhave
For Custom Fused Glass Pet Portrait Nightlight -5.0Karla was so personable and caring. We had lost our dog after 15 wonderful years, to have this beautiful piece of art of him is beyond meaningful. Karla even used some fur of our beloved baby making this art piece so meaningful to us. I can’t thank Karla enough??
- MG
Maureen Greer
For Daisies for a gravestone Project5.0I had so much fun working with Karla on this project. She was great at communicating with me, she offered suggestions and made up small pieces in a few colors so I could see what I preferred (even though I didn't ask her to). She sent lots of pictures and always let me know where she was on the project. The work itself was stunning and her expertise is apparent. I actually thought I didn't pay enough for the work she put in. I can't wait to work on another project with her.
- KR
KEN REINHARDT
For "Feng Shui Goddess" - Health & Family - Fused Glass Sculpture5.0What a fantastic person to work with! I'm really impressed with her and her work. Thank you
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