Kategoria BISAC: Crafts & Hobbies >> Glass & Glassware

For thousands of years an enigmatic and astonishingly beautiful piece of Roman art has captivated those who have come in contact with it.Made before the birth of Christ, the Portland Vase, as it is called, is renowned for both its beauty and its mystery.

In The Portland Vase, Robin Brooks takes us on a vivid journey across Europe and through the centuries, as this delicate piece of glass, less than ten inches in height, passes through the hands of a stunning cast of characters, including the first Roman emperor, Augustus; a notorious tomb raider; a reckless cardinal; a...

The de la Torre brothers combine exquisitely ornate blown and flame-worked glass works with cheap, mass-produced knickknacks, plastic flowers, fake fur, painted coins, and other found objects. Their art is a skillful combination of disparate elements, appropriating content, meaning, and materials from both high and low cultures.

This intersection of contrasting elements reflects their dual residence in Mexico and the United States. The de la Torres describe themselves as "Mexican-American bicultural artists," influenced by "the morbid humor of Mexican folk art, the absurd pageantry...

A first-century Roman cinerary urn. A Coca-Cola bottle from 1910. A contemporary sculpture of bandaged bones.

Contrasts: A Glass Primer presents a wide variety of remarkable glass objects in an accessible and lively format. These objects are grouped, as in a child's book of opposites, to illustrate highlights in glass history (factory/studio, for example), characteristics of the medium (fluid/rigid), and ways of describing art in general (abstract/figurative). Above all, Contrasts is an invitation to creative seeing.

Contrasts: A Glass Primer is published...

Delight the eye and please the spirit with attractive stained glass sun- or lightcatchers. When time's at a premium, craftworkers will find miniature stained glass art just the thing to satisfy the creative urge. Lightcatchers need far less time to complete than larger projects but still produce a rainbow of dazzling colors.
With over 100 patterns to choose from, beginners can fashion a butterfly, birds, flowers, toys, a whale, dolphin, and candle. For advanced craftworkers, there's a more challenging cornucopia brimming with fruit, a smiling sun, and a clown. Hang these stunning...