Floral Sculptures , Spider web cage cups, and Vessels

This gallery showcases some of my most detailed work. i began doing the cage cups in 2000 as an experiment to use up poorly blown goblets, (which there were many) as i was trying to learn traditional venetian techniques both in the hot shop and at the torch. the forms are first blown, with the holes picked out later. somtimes i drop a new hot bubble back in to the "cage" and open them up together, with the holes refilled. i let the random assortment of holes determine the details, and keep only the original outline as the last reference point to a classic form. i take great pride in blowing them as perfectly and thinnly as possible, only to "wreck" a perfectly good cup with holes later. this has become one of my unique signature styles, which i think works well to combine my love of italian glass traditions and natural forms