BY DESIGN: Behind the Glass
The extraordinary craftsmanship of age-old practices
by Amanda Tust

When most artists set to work, they might not have a finished product in mind. Even when they do, they still probably aren’t exactly sure how it will turn out once the creative process takes over. This is especially true for glass designers. After dialing the heat of special furnaces up and down thousands of degrees, with colors changing throughout the heating and cooling process, the end result is often, well, surprising.

“When the glass is at its hottest stage, you can’t really tell what the true color of the finished product will be until the piece cools down the next day,” says Manhattan-based contemporary glass designer Abby Modell, whose luxurious collections combine bright color and clean, edgy shapes.
Even though Modell’s designs are modern, she uses centuries-old glass-blowing techniques to create her art. It involves the use of three furnaces. The first heats water and silica to a white-hot 2,400 degrees Fahrenheit. As the material bubbles, the temp is lowered so Modell’s team can begin shaping it.

Next, it’s on to the second furnace that continuously heats and reheats the material as it’s pulled along a marver, a thick slab of steel or marble, with tools including a blowpipe, sheers, and tweezers. The final furnace, called an annelar, cools the glass slowly so it doesn’t fracture. “Until the last step is done, anything can happen to the fragile glass,” Modell says.

Before she began creating artisan glass pieces full time, Modell had spent 20 years as a designer in the fashion industry. She admits that her love of fashion still serves as inspiration for her glass creations today. This is most evident in her stylish designs that showcase a harmony of rich colors and beautiful fluid shapes.

How does a fashion designer suddenly find herself in front of a piping hot furnace? Modell comes from a family of glass collectors, so from a young age she admired beautifully sculptured glass by master craftsmen, such as Dale Chihuly, Harvey Littleton, and Venini. “I always loved the sparkle of the glass and the translucency of the colors,” Modell says.

Over time she learned how to make the gorgeous glass herself. Years later, when she created a series of domes (paperweights), she remembers opening up the doors of the annelar and seeing an unexpected array of vibrant colors. That’s when she knew she was hooked: “What started out as a hobby quickly became a passion.” Hmm, sounds familiar. In fact, that’s how Fine Art of Family got its start, too.

For more on Modell’s glass artwork,
visit her website: www.lle-dom.com
or call: 646-330-0022