| David Karl |
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I have lived in Hawai’i most of my adult life. First on Oahu, then Maui, and now I live in lower Puna. I have always been fascinated by the lava flows and fountains. Living near the recent lava flows, viewing the breathtaking lava explosions are the inspirations for my art. I wanted to create the lava explosions in glass. I have been working with stained glass for the past 11 years, and fused glass for the last six years. My Dad taught me that art when I turned 50. I found a creativity I never knew I had. I got involved in fusing glass (melting glass together) when I could not find the piece of stained glass which I wanted for a project. I then discovered how to make my own special glass for my projects. My glass work takes anywhere from 30 minutes to 4-5 hours to create each explosion. Then it goes into the kiln for the next 18-24 hours to melt and cool the glass. I start with a piece of clear glass to which I add “frit” (small pieces of broken glass). The long pieces are called “stringers”. I have my own way of making the uniquely shaped stringers. I then use a form of Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging) and lay the twisted pieces where they feel they should be, not taking into consideration any other glass. I use both stained glass and dichroic glass in each piece. These glasses combined allows each piece to change as the room’s lighting changes. My glass has one look with the light coming from behind, and another look with the light source being in front of the glass. The glass is then put into a kiln and fired using a special heating recipe which melts the glass together, and makes the glass strong as it cools off. |
