kilncast | Washington Glass Studio

Sean Hennessey Constructing Art

Posted on August 28, 2012 by Michael Janis |

Sean Hennessey often incorporates electronics into his cast glass works. Here he is testing new el-wire (electroluminescent) sheet for his panels.

Artist Sean Hennessey is in da house! (Or at least da Studio!) working on a new series of cast glass/mixed media panels. Fresh from his successful show at Blue Spiral Gallery in Asheville and Artomatic, Sean continues to move forward in his artwork. Sean is kilncasting slabs of glass for his upcoming shows, including “Constructing Content” with fellow Washington Glass artists Erwin Timmers and Erin Antognoli that opens Dec 1 at the Kline Gallery in Frederick, MD’s Delaplaine Arts Center.

Opening the kiln, Sean removes the plaster from cast glass.

Sean’s glass is formed using dry-plaster casting technique captures the detail of his fingerprints.

Constructing Content

An exhibit featuring Washington Glass School sculptors Erwin Timmers, Sean Hennessey, and Erin Antognoli. The mixed media sculptors combine photography, steel and glass. More will be published online soon!

Sean appraises the composition of panel after annealing.

December 1–30, 2012

Kline Gallery

Delaplaine Arts Center

40 South Carroll Street

Frederick, Maryland 21701

Posted in delaplaine arts, el wire, kiln-formed glass, kilncast, LED, sean hennessey

Michael Janis Goes West!

Posted on November 23, 2010 by Chip Montague |

photos by Demetra Theofanous

An earlier WGS blog post mentions that our own master of glass imagery – Michael Janis – was heading out west to teach a series of workshops at California’s Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI).
Michael’s workshops were about integrating imagery into glass – one workshop was creating deep bas-relief and in the other workshop he taught how he does his unique frit powder drawing technique.
Below are some photos of the California workshops:

Making clear and color bas-relief samples.

The students try out working in the plaster molds.

Mark adds color to his work; a student’s work shows the cast glass bristles of a paintbrush.

BAGI Executive Director Mark Murai is amazed at the detail captured by the kilnformed glass.

Michael Janis describes what goes on inside the glass during the firing.

Michael reveals all his secrets in how to use frit powder for drawing and how the layers of glass create the depth of the work.

Michael said he had really enjoyed working at BAGI’s facilities: “It’d be my new home… it has that experimental vibe – where as an artist you can really respond and can take your work the next level.”

Click HERE to jump to BAGI’s website.

Posted in BAGI, bay area glass institute, fused glass imagery, glass, imagery in glass, kilncast, workshop

Boro Casting

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Michael Janis |

A casting kiln loaded with boro.

Robert Kincheloe has been developing a method of casting using borosilicate glass (aka “hard” glass or 33 C.O.E or Pyrex) and creating components that can later be assembled into Flameworked sculpture.

Rob Kincheloe prepping the glass to be invested into the molds.

Here Rob had made plaster/silica molds via the “lost wax casting” process, and is now loading into the kiln, investing with boro glass.
His process of merging warm and hot glass practices creates one of a kind sculptural works of art.