I use a combination of flameworking and lampworking techniques to make my work. These two terms have been used inconsistently by glass artists, so they may be confusing to collectors. The links on this page should help to show what I mean when I use them, and will illustrate step-by-step some of the specific techniques I apply.

All of my marbles and paperweights are made at the furnace. The designs may include elements that were created ahead of time over a bench-mounted oxy-propane torch. The techniques used to create those elements are called lampworking.

Click here to see how it's done.

Vacuum-encased paperweights or marbles incorporate lampworked elements. As the photos at this next link show, I have to assemble the various elements and surround them with molten glass. Any air that might be trapped would create unsightly bubbles, so I have to suck the air out with a vacuum pump as I pour the molten glass. This is very tricky!

Click here to see how it's done.

To give a paperweight or marble a distinctive look, I may use flameworking techniques to add lampworked elements (like the coral polyps in a starfish paperweight)to it or may draw on its surface with colored glass. This unusual process makes it possible to create very delicate designs that take full advantage of glass as a sculptural medium with visual depth as well as surface form.

Click here to see how it's done.