Kurt McVay


His Technique

Kurt McVay has been working in fused glass since 1983.
He is one of the pioneers in the rediscovery of fused glass.

My work incorporates many processes: hot work, (cane and beads), sandblast etching, glass cutting and crushed glass effects.  These are fused with heat and then shaped in a separate mold firing. This creates an extremely versatile palette, one that is wonderfully detailed, and unique to my studio. I can design with linear precision or soft ambiguity and still produce a signature look.  I cannot overlook my family heritage in the arts nor my professors, as they were vital inspiration for my technique and vision.

Kurt McVay’s Fused Glass Process

The first step in our process is to decide on a pattern,  then cut our glass into the shapes and sizes for the pattern. All pieces are hand cut. We then assemble the pieces on a ceramic pad in the fuser (oven).
Each piece must be carefully placed in the fuser as a mis-placement can cause the glass to melt to the
ceramic pad. Our fusers are large and rectangular so several pieces can be fired at the same time.
Kurt builds his own fusers so that they are identical.

With the glass pieces on the ceramic pad the fuser door is shut and the heating process begins.
These layers of glass will be brought to a temperature of approximately 1400 degrees. There is some
variation of heating time between patterns. On the inside of the fuser the glass pieces are heating together becoming more and more elastic until the top layer merges with the bottom layer forming one layer. At 1400 degrees the process is stopped. Any additional heating will cause the glass to liquefy and run across the pad.

The glass is now taken through an annealing, a slow cooling process. After a few hours we will start a
process of opening the fuser for a few seconds, continually increasing the time of the opening until we can
open the fuser completely. We do this because the glass always cools on the edges first and the center
of the piece is the last to cool. Cooling to quickly will cause the glass to crack.

When the patterns of glass are removed from the fuser they are completely flat. They are then taken to
the kiln for reheating. Kurt also makes his own kilns and molds. The flat glass piece is placed over a mold
and set into the kiln. Our kilns are round and they have shelves for the molds to sit on. The heat in the kiln
will be around 1200 degrees. Once the heating process is started the glass will again become elastic.
Because it is sitting over the mold this elastic state makes the glass slowly drop into the mold and take
on the shape of the mold. The center is the first part of the glass to drop into the mold and the edges adhere
to the top of the mold. After reaching the 1200 degrees we stop the process and slowly cool the pieces as
before. After cooling the pieces are  inspected for flaws.
The entire process takes three days whether it is a small coaster or a large bowl.
 

Who created fused glass?

The Egyptians & Persians 5000 years ago. They used it in jewelry and as inlays in architecture. Considered very precious. The pieces that have been found in tombs are often studded with jewelry.
In the Roman period, fused glass became functional. It was used for plates & bowls. While we still
don’t know the entire process the Romans used we do know they used molds.

Why did Fused Glass lose favor then rediscovered

2000 years later it lost favor when the process of blowing glass was discovered. Blowing glass
is a much easier process being less labor and time intensive and affordable to the entire population.
An entire revolution in glass started in the 1960’s. With modern technology small glass furnaces were developed for melting glass. For the first time glass melting and forming was able to move from
large institutional plants such as Corning Glass to the studio’s of the artists

Terminology
Latticino White or Colored threads encased in clear glass patterns include:
                 Retorti – twisted lace
                 Reticello – criss-cross threads often with trapped air bubbles
                 Filigrine – spiral or helix
Annealing – cooling process. Outer edges of glass always cool before the center.
                       Thus the cooling process must be controlled or the piece will crack
Slumping -  deforming or bending  glass over a mold to take on the shape of the mold
Stopping out – term for taping off areas for sand blasting or acid operation
 

Using McVay’s pieces

Kurt has combined his personal philosophy with his glass art. He believes in functionality.
He also believes a person’s life should be filled with art. Thus he has focused on creating functional
fused glass art pieces which can be used in a variety of ways:

Kurt’s pieces are food and dishwasher safe. They can be used in a microwave for warming but can
only be put in the microwave when both the food and the plate are at room temperature and not for long
periods. He has been working with the best chefs and restaurateurs to develop a food art revolution by
combining the culinary art of these chefs with his glass art. At home, some people will display the pieces f
or their artistic value. For special occasions the pieces are taken from the coffee table to the dinner table.
In offices, they are used as business accessories.

Corporate gifts. The pieces can carry a company's message to customers or employees with the use of company colors, logo or an inscription on the back. You can have our border pieces which are clear in the
center  engraved for a special presentation.