Etching
glass is essentially about changing glass from transparent
to translucent.
There are three ways of achieving this. Sandblasting,
which creates an even white surface all over the glass
that cannot be seen through and using acid to create
a similar effect. More recently we use ceramic frits,
which are fired into the glass, and create a very similar
effect, but are arguably more durable and can also be
easily used to create ‘half-tones’ as in
the reproduction of photography or gradated tone etc.
- Sandblasting,
unlike a fritted glass, can be used to carve the
surface of the glass. This creates an uneven surface,
which can, not only be enormously responsive to
lighting, but also create beautiful relief forms.
Sandblasting is also widely used to make a three
dimensional lettering. Sandblasted glass can also
be toughened, and a thick glass can be deeply carved
to create very strong sculptural effects.Because
the surface of the glass is abraded, the surface
is perfect for adding colour, as the bond is extremely
strong and permanent.
- Acid-etching,
or acid-brightening, is very effectively used, in
conjunction with sandblasting, to modulate the sandblasted
surface, either giving it a very soft velvety finish,
or bringing it almost back to clear again.
- Ceramic
frits cannot be used to create texture, but if repeated
images are to be used they offer a very inexpensive
way or reproducing the same image many times. This
particular frit fires at a slightly lower temperature
than other frits, so when fired during the toughening
process, as most frits are, the result is that the
ceramic is even deeper in the glass than most frits
and is particularly durable even in external conditions
where other frits might response chemically to rain
or other stains.
Transparency,
translucence and opacity:
The unique factor of glass is that it is transparent.
It is playing with the degree of its transparency, or
its translucence or reflectivity that is part of the
skill in working with glass. If these factors are not
being considered one might work with metal or some other
opaque material instead. It is etching that often is
the medium through which we can add or subtract in differing
areas transparency and translucence, and it is these
effects which make a project kinetic – it will
change depending on the viewers angle, whether light
is coming from one direction or another and so on. Suddenly,
we are not necessarily dealing with a single image,
but a variety of images depending on the time of day
or from where we are viewing.
This
is the essence of glass art – thinking about light,
lighting and a space and how the glass will be experienced
from every viewpoint. |
