Christine and Yakov Macak discovered kiln formed glass after receiving a “Red Balloon” voucher as gift and using it to attend an introductory course at Myriad Glass Studio in Kyneton (no longer operating).
They were quickly captivated by the qualities of glass as a medium and excited by the creative possibilities it offered.
Since then they have been attending classes and workshops conducted by Brenda Page, Glass Artist, in the Blue Dog Glass studio, where they developed their skills under her expert instruction, advice and encouragement.
Kiln-formed glass is a "warm glass" art technique that uses heat to shape and manipulate glass within a kiln. It encompasses several processes like fusing, slumping and casting, where artists use heat, gravity, and time to join pieces of glass, bend sheets over or into moulds, or melt glass into moulds. Cold working techniques such as cutting, grinding, polishing and sandblasting are used to further modify fused items.
The works presented here explore pattern, repetition and rhythm, and have often been deconstructed and reassembled to that end.
This is a very simplified description of the extensive repertoire of techniques available to the Warm Glass artist. And Chris and Yakov still feel they have barely scratched the surface of what is possible in this medium.
