GlassFest Flameoff 2011 Recap: World-renowned glass artist Paul Stankard and World Glass store owner Josh Powers (Corning, N.Y.), reflect on their journey to  create the 2011 GlassFest FlameOff. The FlameOff showcases several artists from around the world that demonstrate their talents using a

Flameworking (sometimes called "lampworking") is the process of directing a flame onto a piece of glass in order to create form or decoration. Beads were likely among the first glass objects to be made by flameworking.

Learn about flameworking with Corning Museum of Glass experts. Flameworking is the technique of taking glass rods or tubes and heating them in a concentrated flame until they become soft.

Beginning in the 1800s, glassworkers used flameworking to make vessels considerably larger than previously possible. Bigger and more sophisticated torches allowed the increase in scale, while retaining the flameworker's ability to create minute details.

Artists have proven that glass as a medium for sculpture is virtually without limits. Among hot-working processes, flameworking allows the greatest detail and the smallest scale. Surprisingly though, it can also be used to create sculpture large enough to fill rooms.

Listen as curator David Whitehouse describes this display, telling the story of two remarkable lampworkers, Leopold Blaschka and his son Rudolf, who created in glass thousands of models of invertebrates, animals without backbones, as well as flowers and plants. The father began the business of

Listen as glass artist William Gudenrath describes flameworking (or lampworking), the technique used by the Blaschkas to create the objects in this case at the Museum. The display tells the story of two remarkable lampworkers, Leopold Blaschka and his son Rudolf, who created in glass thousands of

Listen as curator Tina Oldknow, describes the object Woven Heaven, Tangled Earth by artist Susan Plum. For Susan Plum, glass is a metaphor for light. She works with it as a way, she says, to "concretize the invisible." Plum prefers borosilicate glass for its high silica content and its

Watch Jim Byrnes demonstrate for his Studio course, Beginning Flameworking. Students will be guided through sequential exercises designed to target specific skills. As students become familiar with a few skills, they will begin to combine them. The goal of the class is to equip students with an

Glass in Motion is a video highlight montage of the 2011 GlassFest in Corning, N.Y.

This extraordinary lampworked scene is a rare survivor of animated scenes made in the mid-18th century, which were created for public amusement. The scene depicted is believed to be of the Wedding at Cana. The heads and limbs of each figure are lampworked in glass, and are moved by levers and pulls

The Botanical Wonders exhibition celebrated the singular triumph of glassmakers Leopold Blaschka (1822-1895) and his son Rudolf (1857-1939) and offered close-ups of the people and the craft process behind the glass flowers. Video narrated by David Whitehouse.

Watch as Jason Howard demonstrated for his flameworking class, "If You Can Understand It, You Can Do It," at The Studio of The Corning Museum of Glass. See the final object starting at 54:53. R. Jason Howard is a glass artist who specializes in borosilicate flameworking. He lives in

In this video, Cesare Toffolo makes both a simple footed bowl and an intricate historical goblet. He hosts a brief tour of flameworked objects in the collection of The Corning Museum of Glass, and he shares his philosophy of teaching, learning, and creating. Cesare Toffolo is considered to be the

Vittorio Costantini is a Venetian glass master known for his precisely rendered small flameworked sculptures. He is inspired by nature, and he works with a range of subjects, including multi-colored insects, butterflies, birds, fish, and flowers. Costantini's pieces are celebrated for their

Glass Maestro, Gianni Toso shares what inspires and influences his work, specifically about his piece "Chess Set."

Gianni Toso: Glassmaking as a Language, a live flameworking demonstration at The Studio on July 20, 2011.

Watch as Kristina Logan demonstrates beadmaking during her Beadmaking: Expanding Your Skills class at The Studio. Logan's week-long course focuses on a broad spectrum of techniques: surface decorations, dots galore, clear casing, working large beads, and troubleshooting common mistakes and

Watch Karina Guévin & Cédric Ginart demonstrate for their Studio course, Flameworking Cocktail, in which the focus was on providing beginners with a solid foundation in basic technical skills. Students were introduced to various techniques using both soft (soda lime) and hard (borosilicate)

Watch Emilio Santini demonstrate various sculpting and glassblowing techniques using borosilicate and soda lime glass for his 2012 Studio course, Sculptural Flameworking.

Watch Tim Drier demonstrate for his class, Introduction to Flameworking, in which students will embark on an evolution through glassmaking, beginning with marbles (single cell), through fungus, aquatics, and small land mammals, ending with the human form.

Watch Loren Stump demonstrate for his Studio course, Flameworking Using Ultimate Details, advanced murrine techniques including color blending, design analysis, shaded components, and assembling and pulling cane to produce Franchini-style shaded faces. Students examined methods for creating human

In her May 2012 Residency at The Studio, Marta Ramírez interpreted the works of Shinichi Maruyama, a Japanese artist and photographer who has developed an artistic body of work called Water Sculptures.

Watch Suellen Fowler demonstrate for her class, Flamework Glass Sculpting: Solid and Blown Forms, a variety of techniques for creating sculptures in colored borosilicate glass. During the class, Fowler demonstrated cane decoration and patterns, the use of commercial and hand mixed color, and

At 2300°: Finger Lakes Finest in January 2013, glassblower Eric Meek and flameworker Eric Goldschmidt collaborated to make an amphora with flameworked figures and grapes. See what they had to say about the experience.

The Corning Museum of Glass presents its popular 2300° series of art happenings each year, featuring live music, hot glassmaking, and great food and drink. This video gives you an inside look at the festivities at 2300°: Finger Lakes Finest (January 17, 2013), including music by The Blind Spots,

Watch John Kobuki demonstrate for his Studio course, Flower Marbles, the compression technique used to make flowers and  and other deeply encased designs in borosilicate glass. John Kobuki has been working with glass since 1995. He is known for making marbles with the compression technique. Kobuki

Watch as Emilio Santini and Simone Crestani demonstrated for their 2013 class, Flameworking for Everybody, various sculpting and glassblowing techniques using borosilicate and soft glass.

Watch David Willis demonstrate for his flameworking class, Make What You Like, to help students fabricate in glass anything they can conceive.

Watch Tim Drier demonstrate for his class, Introduction to Flameworking, how to embark on an evolution through glassmaking, beginning with marbles (single cell), through fungus, aquatics, and small land mammals, ending with the human form.