Bars

Glass carving is a sister art form to woodcarving, employing many of the same concepts, and same theories as relief woodcarving to create the illusion of depth and perspective. Woodworkers use carbon steal tools, sharpened and refined to a razor edge to remove material creating a form - glass carvers use sand and high speed rotary cutters a medium to remove materials. These vastly different procedures, in the guidance of an artist, reach the same end an original masterpiece.

If you just arrived at our site, this glasswork is the centerpiece of a custom hand made walnut bar unit featured on our site. The etching is hand carved in reverse relief, creating an unbelievable perception of perspective with only ¼" of working depth. Contrast is created by black velvet matting behind the glass. This creates a shadow that absorbs almost all the light behind the glass, with no reflection distorting the perspective.

Additional examples Randy's amazing work can be viewed at: www.permanentreflections.com.

This glass feature provides an example of our abilities to blend mediums, and incorporate modern touches such as fiber optic lighting. A custom-built fiber optic harness by Visual Lighting Technologies caries light from a halogen source, mounted inside the base cabinets, to the glass. The harness splits to form a side light multi-strand fiber loop to back light the stained glass, and a one-inch track of closely spaced fiber tips allowing a concentrated group of light beams to enter the Starfire glass etching through the top edge. Lighting is a critical factor with this piece; the feature really jumps to life when the halogen is turned on.

Robert Saperstein is available by exclusive commission and appointment only. This frame doesn't give full credit to his dynamic skills as a glass artist. His work includes Tiffany reproductions and original designs that rival the masters. Designs that contain thousands of individual puzzle pieces are meticulously hand cut and ground to a perfect fit. However, this simple frame feature distinguishes his ability to employee subtle color when called upon to highlight, but not overshadow. His contribution succeeded in enhancing the Elk etching.

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