Similar to collage, Amber Cowan remixes and combines vintage glass pieces by "flameworking, blowing, and hot-sculpting" them into new creations. In her recent work, pieces that span centuries combine for intricate, mythological works. Cowan was last featured on HiFructose.com here.
The art of glassblowing is a demanding and unforgiving process, and even with today's modernized equipment, molding the hot liquid glass can be very dangerous. Indiana based artist Kiva Ford appreciates these qualities of the ancient medium, an art form that he says forces the artist to remain in the present. He sculpts in glass every day, almost obsessively, creating miniatures of things like flowers, animals and geometric forms that he traps in a "ship in the bottle" style bubble or orb.