ART GLASS STYLES AND TYPICAL USES

RING MOTTLES

Originally discovered by the Tiffany Studios in the early 20th century, Ring Mottles are a special effect of localized, heat-treated opacification and crystal-growth dynamics. Louis Comfort Tiffany was searching for glass containing realistic natural effects to express his representational imagery with minimal use of painting. He couldn't have been happier than when he saw the first Ring Mottles. And he found myriad uses for them!

After the closure of Tiffany Studios, Ring Mottles were thought to be lost. In the mid '70s, our own Eric Lovell reinvented them and brought them back into the stained glass marketplace. Since then, like in Tiffany's day, Ring Mottles have been used for realistic-looking shadows, sunspots on leaves or ground, or to create the effect of many small background repeats of cut-and-soldered foreground pieces. An example is the use of green mottled areas in the background areas behind green leaves. Another is the use of flower-colored mottles in the background of cut-and-soldered flowers. In large pieces, mottles may be used in groups or cut in half to break up the circular images and achieve a single band through each piece.

Ring Mottles are also used in contemporary works when nonlinear or abstract color patterns are desired. Typical locations might be in border row pieces, background areas around a beveled interior, or in flat panels in lamps.

FRACTURES and FRACTURE-STREAMERS

Fracture glass is made from paper-thin blown shards or flakes of intensely colored glass fused to the bottom of sheets during the rolling process. Fracture-Streamer glass is fracture glass combined with hand-stretched streamers or strings of glass during the rolling process. Both are traditional glasses first invented by the Tiffany Studios in the early 20th century. They were unavailable to the stained glass world until redeveloped by Uroboros in the mid '70s.

Tiffany specified them repeatedly for leafy or flowery background areas where the brightly colored fractures signified myriad leaves or flowers in the distance. The streamers typically denote twigs or branches amongst the leaves. The unparalleled look of our streamers is absolutely authentic to the Tiffany original and to nature - with hand-stretched, crooked, lumpy and delightfully quirky shapes mimicking Mother Nature.

Fracture and Fracture-Streamer glass, because of its endlessly varying play of shape and color, is also successfully used in large pieces for divider panels, panel lamps, and many other non-representational uses.

RIPPLED GLASS

This subcategory within textured-glass types represents a pinnacle of glass-making craftsmanship. Our three basic styles of ripples are Smooth Ripple (a lighter, more widely spaced ripple), Granite Ripple (rougher and more bunched together than Smooth), and Herringbone Granite Ripple (rough ripples with a zigzag or feathered pattern). Each ripple has its own typical uses, such as Smooth for water, and either of the Granite Ripple types for leaves, sparkly border rows or flower petals.

During the sheet-forming process, rotating the roller faster than its own forward travel causes the rippled effect. Imagine a car tire spinning up mud or gravel. The rapidly cooling and solidifying top and bottom surfaces of the sheet are forced to slide over one another using the still-fluid middle layer as a lubricant. The resulting texture quickly chills enough to permanently retain the ripple pattern.

HAND-ROLLED DRAPERY

This unique, heavily folded glass is more a sculptured glassy material than it is a sheet glass. It is typically used to suggest fabric folds (hence the name Drapery), heavily contoured flower petals such as the Magnolia or for purely abstract or sculptural work.

Drapery is made using a small diameter hand-held roller. Only the most skilled craftsmen can create usable draperies successfully. And even they occasionally get burned in the process! The roller is manipulated violently to produce heavy ripples at the same time as folding and creasing the entire sheet. Once the thick, ropy folds (or drapes) cool they rigidify permanently. The final "sheets" may be cut on the back (flatter) side using a standard glasscutter (another specialized skill) or from the top side with a diamond band saw.

STREAKY

Our Streaky style is far from ordinary-in order to retain the flavor of nature and the traditional look of antique stained glass, Hand-Rolled Streakies are created with a not-so-subtle crinkle texture on the surfaces. This texture breaks up light passing through the minor variations in glass thickness into myriad sparkles. The result is the complex, antique and non-mechanical Uroboros look of which Tiffany himself would be proud!

GRANITE

This popular texture is naturalistic and rough created by a pattern on the sheet-forming equipment. The resulting glass adds depth, complexity and interest to any use. Since Granite is of generally consistent thickness, it appeals to all skill levels as an easy-to-use texture.

FIBROID

This linear texture, also made by a pattern on the rolling equipment, has many different uses. First developed for use in traditional art glass for long leaf veins, border row pieces, and for Mission-style geometric lamps and panels, Fibroid has since found its way into many more uses that take advantage of its unique light-scattering quality.