Fused Glass & Marble Custom Penguin Sculpture
In this project the client supplied an animated gif; he wanted a small sculpture that exactly replicated the image. Initially he advertised for "stained glass"; since my experience has taught me that a piece of this size (6"h x 5.5"w) would work far better if created with "fused glass", I offered that option, along with some sample photos. He liked the fused very much and thought it would work out better; the next step was providing him a scale drawing of the finished piece. Being "ever creative", I perched my paper drawing atop a piece of raw white marble to simulate an "ice floe" (the client had not asked for a base, though this was always intended to be a sculptural piece). The ice flow was a "hit", so I got busy cutting the glass for the penguin. While the piece looks quite simple, I am never satisfied with "ordinary"… I wanted the scarf to appear OVER the body.. . not as part of the two dimensional plane. Because of this I needed to cut three separate "scarf" pieces to build in this dimension; seventeen pieces of glass in total comprise the penguin. The firing schedule had to be very carefully controlled, as glass over 1/4" in thickness wants to spread out as it heats up, distorting the shape. My 20 years experience as a fuser guided me in a perfect firing. I painted a metal U-bolt black and adhered it to the back of the penguin, letting the "legs" extend 3/4" below the body. After carefully marking the marble, I drilled two holes into which the "legs" would fit… so good, that no permanent adhesive is even needed. Designing the stand this way also allowed for easier shipping with less chance of breakage. Fused glass allows for much finer detail than stained glass, as well as added dimension. This piece demonstrates three separate thicknesses - the wings are the thinnest, so that they appear slightly behind the body.. then the main section of the body… and lastly, the scarf on top of the body, and the eyes and beak on top of the head. The body itself is 5/16" thick; this gives the piece a nice weight, and lends to a "long and happy life".
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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.
- 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??
- 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
- DD
Dennis DuBreuil
For Fused Glass Bolo Tie & Cuff Links - Blue & Black Available5.0Karla, was friendly, professional and very commutative. She is a very good artist that I would use again and highly recommend her.
JMJanice McKee
For Janice's lawn ornament5.0This is my first time on Custom Made. I reached out blindly in search of how to best help a friend who had recently lost his sister. I had no idea what to expect and giving only a vague idea of what i hoped to achieve. Karla contacted me almost immediately with an in-depth reply asking pointed questions, trying to narrow down my request. From that moment on, despite my cloudiness and confusion, Karla's ability, artistic vision, and supreme kindness led the way. She devised the absolute perfect plan and carried it out with a speed and professionalism that astounded me. I am overwhelmed at what she created, and the entire process since first finding your website. I feel a bit of divine intervention in how it all happened. I am so grateful to Karla, and to Custom Made, for creating this opportunity to honor his sister, also an artist. The finished project is one my friend will cherish, and this experience i would cherish as well. Karla, you are an amazing person and artist.
- ND
Nancy Deal
For Fused Glass Letters, Numbers Or Symbols, Cut To Order5.0It was a pleasure working with Karla. She asked great questions so she knew exactly what I wanted. I am so pleased with the letters she made for me. They will make my project look better than I could have expected. I would highly recommend her for any of your projects.
- BA
Barbara Austin
For Snake pit logo Project5.0Karla is a gifted artist- she was able to take an idea and create a stunning piece of art. Karla dedication and focus to detail ensured this piece was done perfect! Highly recommend Karla's beautiful work!
- 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.
- RH
Rich Hoftiezer
For Rich Hoftiezer's 2 dimensional stained glass piece5.0I started with an idea; Karla turned it into a work of art. I cannot adequately express how pleased I am with the end result. The quality is unsurpassed, and the workmanship is flawless. Her professionalism, imagination and skills made this a thoroughly enjoyable and learning experience. From concept to completion, Karla kept me apprised of every facet of the project, providing frequent communication, explanations of the processes and pictures of the piece. If you would like to see an idea come to life, ask to see her Creation Story of what became affectionately known as "Mr Penguin". With my deepest thanks and admiration, Rich H
- 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!
- B
Brittney
For Christmas Ornament5.0Our ornament is beautiful, we've gotten lots of compliments on it already. It's very well made, looks sturdy, and we love the design. We highly recommend Karla.
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