Glass is one of the world's oldest materials for art and, in America, one of the newest. In the United States in the last 30 years, glass has emerged as a vital component of America's visual arts. Glass, basically sand melted to a liquid with the consistency of honey, can be blown into fragile bubbles, cast into sculptural architectural components, fused, painted, carved, and engraved, to name only a few techniques in the glass artist's vocabulary. This survey includes recent examples of art in glass by 13 artists selected from more than a thousand in the United States. They follow no single trend or tradition but draw freely from the world and its visual history. Whether their art takes inspiration from Egyptian canopic jars, medieval stained-glass windows, or Venetian glass techniques, American artists working in glass use the world for their sketchbooks and are masters of their art.

The Masters series offers crafters an engaging and up-to-date survey of the finest contemporary work by approximately 40 leading artists. Beadweaving takes the spotlight here with each designer showcasing his or her work. Photos throughout.

"For more than 75 years, the Penland School of Crafts has attracted the most creative crafters from across the globe. This ... focuses on glass and the ten top contemporary flameworkers who have taught at the school, all of whom have areas of expertise that make them leaders in their field. These skilled masters offer a very personal perspective on their influences and work, with revelatory essays that give their views on flameworking and art in general. In photographic how-to sections of about 25-30 captioned images, each one demonstrates a particular technique, usually resulting in a finished piece."--Global Books in Print.

Presents an illustrated overview of contemporary studio-glass. Full-color reproductions of works by noted American artists and distinguished European artists are accompanied by detailed discussions of each artist's career and glassforming techniques.