Lampworking (Hot Glass)

Life is Just a Bowl of Marbles . . .

I could go on about glass for far too long. I could ramble on about its being sort of a liquid and sort of a solid, about having and not really having crystalline structure, about its weird behaviour (did you know that molten glass conducts electricity, whereas cold glass is a good insulator?). Or about the light in its heart. I wish these pictures could really show the qualities of glass, the small-shiny-bright perfection of coloured glass beads, the cheerfulness of metallic inclusions, the depth and liveliness of the colours... perhaps one of the essential magics of glass is that, like water, it's very hard to photograph!

I loved marbles when I was a kid. Among the stupid things I did as an adolescent was to sell my precious marble collection at a flea market, being "too old for that kid stuff". How I regret that arrogant gesture now -- there were some classics in that collection, marbles I had loved, peered into, mused on through my entire childhood. What I'd give now to have them back. But perhaps better still would be . . . to make my own.

Lampworked marbles are not a trivial undertaking, take my word for it. Though I'm starting to take a little pride in my marbles, I'm by no means competent yet. But someday, if I stick to my torch and keep my hand steady, I may finally make a marble without an obvious flaw.


De's Marble Page including sad stories and perhaps some useful info for other newbies
More Links (reverse chrono order):

de@daclarke.org
De Clarke
UCO/Lick Observatory
University of California
Santa Cruz, CA 95064
Tel: +1 408 459 2630
Fax: +1 408 454 9863