Art

At Aston Lowery Designs, we design and manufacture fused glass items that are aesthetic as well as functional. Using only the finest raw materials, craftsman and designer Douglas Aston has created an array of quality fused glass pieces that range from simple every day use articles, to one-of-a-kind artistic works. Each piece is hand made in our studio located in Austin, Texas, USA, and no two pieces are exactly alike. You can even order many of our pieces customized to your liking, with different choices for colors, shapes, and glass compositions.

You'll find our products in use and on display in homes, restaurants, and well-appointed business environments. Whether for yourself, your business, or as a unique gift, an article of fused glass from Aston Lowery Designs demonstrates high-quality craftsmanship that blends the brilliant beauty of fused glass with everyday practicality.

About Fused Glass

Glass fusion is a specialized craft in which glass pieces in various colors and forms - sheet, powdered, crushed, or even broken into shards - are bound together and shaped by gravity using a variable-temperature kiln firing process. A variety of effects can be achieved, based on how the glass pieces are composed, and the sequence of temperatures and hold times. Often, multiple firings will be used to apply additive effects to create the final piece. As a single firing phase can take anywhere from 8 to 20 hours, more complicated pieces can required several days of the craftman's effort and kiln time.

A full fuse takes several pieces of glass and completely merges them at high temperature to create a single piece. Patterns of colors are achieved by arranging different colored glass pieces prior to the fusing process.

A tack fuse is similar to gluing glass pieces together, except the glass actually adheres when partially melted surfaces of the individual pieces touch. This process requires mid-range kiln temperatures.

Finally, slumping is the process by which a flat sheet of glass, shaped as a square, circle, oval, or other 2D shape, is placed over either a convex or concave mold. The kiln is heated just enough to soften to the glass so that gravity can slowly pull it into or over the mold. In this way, bowls, cups, platters, saucers and other implements can be made.

Creating fused glass products requires knowledge of how to combine these processes, what materials to use, the various programs of heating and holding in the kiln, and an artistic eye that understands both composition and function.