ZWEBER GLASS STUDIO
THE ART OF MAKING GLASS
While there are many domestic glass manufacturers producing a broad range of glass for stained glass studios, none offer the unique textures and enormous color palette of mouth-blown antique glass. This is glass that has been produced in the same manner for hundreds of years, and is now only manufactured by a handful of companies, almost all in Europe. Although the cost is 3-4 times that of domestic glass, it allows the glass designer to take a painterly approach, working with unlimited color choices, and varying degrees of shading and opacity within a single sheet of glass.
Most of the glass that I utilize is Lambert’s German mouth-blown antique, along with a small amount of Fremont antique, produced in a small studio in Seattle. The following video shows the glassmaking process at the Lambert's factory in Waldsassen, Germany.
For a longer and much more detailed explanation of the glass making process, see the following videos.
The Art of Making Glass - Lambert's pt1 9 min. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsOUyqGa9FM
The Art of Making Glass - Lambert's pt2 9 min. www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4gy7l6vp5I
Lighting the Way: The German Pioneers of Contemporary Stained Glass
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0A1NWEpIbg
This is an important documentary tracing the contributions of ten German designers from the early 20th century through the 1990's. Some of these masters provided valuable inspiration to me and many other American artists. It is 1.5 hrs. long, so you may want to watch it in smaller segments.
Georg Meistermann 1911-1990
