Also called kiln-worked glass, it is a distinct process of forming glass using heat and gravity. Amongst some other methods are pate-de-verre and glass blowing.
Pieces of glass are cut (‘blanks’) to shape, placed over molds, and fired in a kiln. Various oxides and coloring agents are used, melting either within or on the surface of the glass. This process is permanent.
Tall containers such as vases and wine glasses are beyond the province of this process of forming glass-those are made by blowing out molten glass.
Fused glass has a venerable history-the earliest objects found are those made by Egyptians and Romans around 2000 BC. The use of this process fell into abeyance and only reappeared with any significance around 1935. This resurgence was led primarily by small groups of glass artists in Czechoslovakia and a little later in the United States.
The recent renaissance of stained glass led, by extension, to a great expansion and interest in this field, and many glass artists are now producing dynamic fused works that are greater in size and complexity than previously known.
