Art Talk: Josie's Journey to Creating Vases

In April, during our Art Talk event, we had the pleasure of witnessing Josella Martinez Mangle’s intriguing presentation on her exploration of a new glass fusing technique to create unique vases.

Inspired by Earth Day, Josie decided to embrace the theme of the primary elements—Water, Earth, Fire, and Air—and translate them into four distinct vases. It was an exciting opportunity for the entire MoltenWolf Glass team to learn something new together as we delved into the “draping” technique, which we were relatively unfamiliar with.

To achieve the desired shapes for the vases, Josie used a Drape Mold. The design process involved careful planning of how the glass would behave when draped over the mold. Especially because the aim was to create different looks for each vase.

The draping process itself is straightforward but depends on variables such as glass size and thickness. Heating the glass to a specific temperature between 1100°F and 1250°F, with a target of 1225°F, softens the glass enough for bending without melting. It takes approximately 10 to 20 minutes for the glass to gracefully “fall” or “drape” over the mold.

Once the desired shape is achieved, the kiln must be “vented” to reduce the temperature and prevent further movement of the glass. Opening the kiln allows the hot air to escape until the internal temperature reaches 1100°F. The kiln is then closed, and the glass is annealed as usual, ensuring its strength and stability.

The visitors at Art Talk enjoyed listening to Josie while she took them on her creative journey of trial and error. The crowd loved seeing samples and the end result of all four stunning vases capturing the essence of Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

Stay tuned for more exciting Art Talks at our shop, the next one up will be hosted by Jeff in September!

Check out Josie’s whole presentation here.