About Us

About Nina

  

Handmade kiln-formed glass works, all made in Paddington, NSW. Made on Gadigal land.

 My journey to create works from glass began 20 years ago when I learnt to cut glass and make leadlight windows. I transitioned to kiln work once I discovered the joy and freedom of manipulating glass. Glass is a beautiful medium to work with – although fragile it has a beautiful translucency that transmits light.

 My design aesthetic reveals a joy in detail and patience, but also sometimes incorporates asymmetry to retain the beauty of being handmade.

 No two pieces are identical. Each piece is made from hand cut coloured glass, arranged as I imagine for the design and then placed in my kiln where it fuses together into a ‘tile’ with a temperature of around 740 degrees celius. Once it has cooled I do some cold working (hand sanding with diamond pads or using a wet belt sander) to ensure the tile is smooth and ready for another firing in the kiln. The fused glass is then slumped in a mould in the kiln, to complete the bowl or plate. I make many of my own molds to achieve some uniqueness. And I can make a variety of sizes.

 In addition to making fused and slumped glass plates and bowls I also do casting sculptural works using the ‘lost wax’ technique. These pieces take several weeks to make, starting with a model (either a found object or a piece I sculpt from clay). I then make a silicon negative and from this a wax positive. The wax is encased in plaster and steamed out. I load up the plaster mold with glass and place it in the kiln for firing. Depending on the size of the piece the kiln schedules are generally between 24 hours to 4 days. Yes it’s a slow process that requires taking the temperature up slowly and down slowly.     

I love making glass pieces that I hope each piece gives the receiver as much joy as I have had making it.

 

Nina
Paddington Glass Maker