ORIGIN

The first time I saw someone blowing glass, I was probably around six years old and living in Flagstaff, Arizona. My mother took me on a walk downtown, where we stopped by George Averbeck’s glass blowing studio, Fire On The Mountain. Through a cloud of steam, I saw the face of a wizard, illuminated by the glow of molten glass. After seeing his shop with people making all kinds of stunning glass creations, I wanted to try working with glass.

After all, who doesn’t want to be a wizard?

WHAT IS IT?

The type of glass that I use is borosilicate. Borosilicate is shock-resistant and more durable than other types of glass (Pyrex is a brand of borosilicate.) All of the colors I use come from different minerals that are mixed into the glass, example - cobalt makes blue… cadmium is used for red, orange, and yellow. You can use pure precious metals for fuming. Fuming is a technique where you vaporize a small amount of precious metal (silver or gold) in the flame. The vapor is deposited as a delicate layer on the surface of the glass for a wide variety of coloring effects – galaxies, fume implosions. Color work that is inside of a solid piece of glass is colloquially referred to as an implosion. I use a lampworking torch to melt raw glass and various techniques to manipulate it into forms that are intriguing and attractive.

GLASS WRITING PENS

What are glass writing pens?

Glass writing pens are a type of dip pen, or a pen that you dip in ink before you write. When you dip the tip of the pen, the ink fills tiny channels in the nib. As you write or draw, the ink is pulled from these channels and onto the paper. You will fall into a rhythm for dipping the pen with a small amount of practice. You usually have to dip the pen again every few sentences, depending on the ink you use. A more diverse choice of inks can be used with dip pens than fountain pens because they have easy cleaning access and no easily clogged parts. Water based inks are easiest to clean from the nib but other types of ink work as well, including dyed, pigmented, and shimmer inks (even tea can have a nice effect). You can purchase ink from any art/stationery store or online.

How do I make these pens?

I make these pens using borosilicate glass, which I melt and manipulate in front of a torch. After the pen is cool I grind the nib by hand, paying close attention to a number of things that will ensure a nice flow and line, and that the nib that will not scratch your paper. I think that my attention to detail and performance during this step is what makes my pens stand out. I usually try to achieve a balance between the best flow and the finest line. I test all of my pens before I put them in gift boxes ready for mailing.

MORE ABOUT ME

What’s the proper terminology for what I do?

Technically, lampwork. I am primarily a lamp-worker. Lampwork is when you use a torch to melt your glass. As opposed to doing furnace-work, also called glassblowing…which is a larger scale type glasswork. I am also learning furnace working techniques (soft-glass).

Who am I?

Skyler Blood-Raiter 1999 – TBD – I’m based out of Silver City, New Mexico. I never intended on being an artist – I was more interested in the sciences, but once I was exposed to this unique medium – I couldn’t imagine wanting to do anything else. Glass is so immediate and satisfying, going from solid to liquid, and back to solid again in a matter of seconds – it feels nice and is a lot of fun.

How did I get here?

I have been working with glass for four years, and been a full time glass artist since 2017. My artwork consists primarily of glass writing pens, jewelry, and vessels. I focus on creating pieces inspired by the cosmos and nature. I have completed three semesters of hotshop (large-scale) techniques at The Sonoran Glass School in Tucson, AZ. I have taken flameworking classes with Wesley Fleming, Bandhu Dunham, Elaine Forbes, and Freddy Faerron. Summer 2017 at Pilchuck Glass School, I studied with Matt Eskuche and Jason Christian. I am looking forward to the privilege of a semester of work at The Sonoran Glass School and studying at Pilchuck again this summer.