My designs (Steven E. Main) are created by laying out hand
pulled cane (small glass rods) in a mosaic like pattern.
They are placed onto a sheet of steel called a marver,
which is heated so that the cane design can be brought up
to the same temperature as the glass on the blowpipe. After
that, the pipe is rolled across the hot steel marver,
picking up the design onto a core of colored glass. Several
more layers of clear glass are then gathered from the
furnace onto the piece, after which it is blown out and
formed.
My work reflects my interest in the patterns found in
nature, like the striations in rocks and the visual rhythms
of plants. Although I have a specific reference in mind
when I create my surface designs, I enjoy that people form
their own interpretations of what they see in my work. What
is important is to stimulate the imagination