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| Historically, glass has been known primarily for its decorative applications. Narcissus Quagliata has modified this traditional definition by viewing it as a medium for self expression. His unique palette is created through mouth blown glass produced specifically for each art piece. The detailed imagery is enhanced by his use of metal, which transforms the structure into a drawing. By minimizing the structural elements without losing strength, Narcissus Quagliata has pushed this medium to it?s limits. In doing so he has achieved a level of intricacy and finesse unique in his field. |
| The most recent works of designer and glass artist Narcissus Quagliata, represent a complete merging of the medium of glass and painting in a process which utilizes the latest available technological innovations. Because the final image is fused in the kiln, shapes and imagery of the art work can be created freely, much like a painting. This allows for a very immediate and spontaneous process which integrates the detail and expressiveness of painting with the optical qualities of glass. What is achieved is an art work consisting of one single, multilayered sheet or slab of glass, requiring no structural support in the form of metal, lead or glues. This process enhances the richness of the works and allows for infinite applications, ranging from individual fine art works to large scale pieces suitable for architectural settings. |
| His book, Narcissus Quagliata Painting with Light , was published by il Cigno Galileo Galilei in Rome Italy. It contains photographs of many of the images that are presented here, along with others that are available on the market. The text is written in three languages: English, Spanish and Italian. This book was published at the Occasion of Narcissus Quagliata´s, a Retrospective Exhibit at the Museo Franz Meyer in Mexico City. The book contains 115 pages of color images. Further information and orders for the book can be obtained through the E-mail address. |
| After twenty years of working and pushing the medium of stained glass my panels had become very complex and labor intensive. This left me with ambivalent emotions; as much as I was pleased with the end result, I was also increasingly dependent on the superb skills of my assistants. I felt the need to add a more personal way of handling glass to the palette of technical choices available to the studio. When David Ruth, an Oakland glass sculptor, invited me to his studio to experiment with kiln formed glass, I became intrigued by the possibilities. A subsequent invitation to work at Bullseye Glass Company to experiment with glass fusing further opened my eyes to the unexplored potential of this new technique. Suddenly I was producing images in glass with the same immediacy as my work in watercolor. Instead of having to use metal or glues to laboriously piece everything together detail by detail, I could return all the glass to its molten state and fuse it all in one stroke. The creation of a glass panel did not have to involve careful planning and fabrication, but instead could be a more spontaneous experience in which intuition took a much more direct path. |
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