Jenefer Ham Kiln Formed Glass About Jenefer Ham's Glass
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glass in my kiln
Glass dropping through a donut mold.
This can become a vase or bowl.

Animation showing how a piece is made

 

Artist Group Memberships:

Guildford Art Society

Kaleidoscope Artists Group

Surrey Guild of Craftsmen

The Sussex Guild

 

Glass Organization Membership:

Contemporary Glass Society

Glass Art Society

 

Other Links:

Craft & Design Magazine

arts council of england logo

 

Supported Charities:

Beagle Rescue

RSPCA

The Blue Cross

British Hen Welfare Trust

Heifer Foundation


All pieces have been created by me, Jenefer Ham.

Trained in commercial art, and the former owner of a graphic design firm, I find it exciting to transfer my knowledge of the principles of good design to glass. In contrast to sitting at a computer, I enjoy "getting my hands dirty," and get immense satisfaction from the physicality of creating.

As a glass artist, I am mainly self-taught, having ordered my own kiln immediately after taking an introductory fusing class! While awaiting my kiln's arrival, I enrolled in a 6-week course on fusing, and hit the ground running when my kiln arrived. I have felt fortunate to have the tools and materials on hand to explore this media in my own workshop, as inspiration sometimes strikes at odd hours!

When we moved to England in 2004, I was excited upon noticing deep window sills seemingly everywhere. I felt drawn to create dimensional, self-standing windowsill sculptures to transform sunshine into a blaze of colour.

I have spent the intervening years experimenting with combinations of colours and surface treatments to enhance the glow of light passing through my pieces. My "Texture Waves" windowsill sculptures, tableware and jewellery are the result of this effort, and come in a variety of sizes and shapes.

I also enjoy working with dichroic glass, as the reflective nature and the glorious colours are absolutely addictive!

In August 2012, my husband and I moved to Malta for a few years. I'm going to use this time to expand my skills to include working with molten glass with a torch, making lovely one-off beads. I plan to return to England a few times a year to make my kiln formed glass, and keep my galleries happy with fresh pieces.

My pieces are created by layering and melting together various shapes and colours of glass in a fusing kiln, which heats the glass to 800 degrees Celsius. Most pieces go through several heating and cooling cycles in the kiln, as, once cooled, I add more layers of glass, or use cold-working tools to shape the glass, then re-fire the piece. Each cycle takes about 20 hours to heat the glass safely, fuse, then anneal properly as it cools, so some pieces spend a week in the kiln! The final journey through the kiln is at a lower temperature of 650 degrees Celsius. This allows the finished piece to assume its dimensional form, taking shape from the selected mold, some of which I've sculpted from clay. This multi-cycle process creates a depth of color and a unique piece of glass that is simply un-duplicatable.

Finished work ranges from wall (hanging) and windowsill (self-standing) art, to functional bowls and platters, to jewellery. All pieces are food safe, and can be cleaned with a soft sponge and washing up liquid, as needed.

My raw glass comes from the Bullseye factory in Portland, Oregon and is formulated and hand rolled to exacting specifications. Called "the most sophisticated glass-colouring company in the world" by glass impresario Dale Chihuly, Bullseye is an international leader in colour formulation as well as a business of conscience, actively working to be as "green" as possible. Read more about Bulleye Glass...

View Jenefer Ham's Glass Gallery


 


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