The Great Thing About Glass

I've always been a big fan of glass, almost as much as I am of jewellery! In modern day society glass has been used for more functional roles such as to hold a liquid or allow light to enter a building. But glass art has always appealed to me. In fact, the use of glass for practical and decorative purposes dates back to Ancient Egypt and Rome. Glass was most likely discovered by accident when melted sand (silica)was fused in cooking fires. Glassblowing, was used in Jerusalem in the first century BC and spread throughout the Roman Empire. Other glass art techniques, such as stained glass, casting, fusing, and mosaic, evolved over time (i.e. stained glass was a very popular technique used in the cathedrals of Europe during the Middle Ages; 5th to 16th centuries AD). Eventually, glassblowing became the dominant technique with the production of glass art pieces and the industry concentrated in Murano, Italy. Many of the technologies used then including crystalline glass, enamelled glass (smalto), glass with threads of gold (aventurine), multicoloured glass (millefiori), milk glass (lattimo), and imitation gemstones made of glass are still be used today in everything from contemporary art glass and glass figurines to Murano glass chandeliers and wine stoppers. When I founded Castle Designer Glass a few years ago, I was inspired to bring the beautiful designs that I had encountered on my travels back to my hometown of Saskatoon. The versatility of glass allows it to be used in a wide variety of surfaces including backsplashes. glass boards, freestanding or wall art, door inserts, tables, countertops, etc... in the home, the office or in a casino, spa, airport, hotel or store. Glass art gives a piece that special something that makes people take notice. When someone wants their room to standout, I can't think of a better way than with glass art.