Entryway in Miami, Florida
This is a beautiful entryway in Miami, Florida. I worked very closely with the client as I uaually do. She had very specific things she wanted in the entry and over several months of rough sketching final scale drawings with color and then a full scale drawing, we came up with a design she loved.
It was an interesting project because she wanted the design to include above and below water along with sky in the design. To incorporate my design in water, I had to carve the glass in such a way to match exactly where the egret’s legs would go under the water. I have done this style of design in the past, and it’s not an easy task, but I am always up for a challenge.
The wood is African mahogany with 1/2-inch-thick carved-fused glass. I spent a lot of time planning the integration of the carved wood and carved-fused glass. All the elements in the glass had a tremendous amount of detail and required multiple test firings to get exactly what I envisioned. Take a close look at the birds and the fish.
The egret was fun to carve and the effect of it’s legs both above and below the water is an interesting artistic touch. I carved half the legs in wood, and the legs in the water are carved and fused with colored glass in my kiln.
Everything was (and always is) made in my shop, the wood and glass carving, fusing the colors in my kiln, finishing, and installing the doors in the jamb with all the hardware so that it can be easily installed by the client’s contractor. I even made the crate to ensure the door got to the home safely. Lots of fun from concept to delivery.
Below are a series of photos. My full-scale drawing is first, next shows the door finish carved, and third the completed door. Below those first three photos are close up’s of the carved and fused art glass I made. In the fourth photo you can see the egrets legs above and below the water. I carved the glass to appear as water and then carved and fused colored glass for his legs and feet.
