Sunset Red Boat, Pate de Verre Glass Artist: P. Roberts 9.5×34.5 or 11.75×47
Spiral-Red-Bowl-Large, Medium: Pate de Verre Glass Size: 7″ x 23″ x 10″ Artist: Patty Roberts
Braided-Wire-Bowl-Red, Medium: Pate de Verre Glass & Metal Size: 6″ x 6″ x 6″ Artist: Patty Roberts
Aqua Boat & Nails, Pate de Verre Glass Artist: Patty Roberts, 10x33x7 25
Spiral Bowl Red Large, Pate de Verre Glass Artist: Patty Roberts, 7 x 23 x 10
“My love of glass began in middle school when a group of artists came to show the art classes the different techniques that were possible in glass. It was years later that I began my exploration into the glass world. When I saw the pâte de verre pieces from the early French artists I was inspired. I found a workshop at Bullseye glass company that taught the basic techniques then spent the following few years testing and pushing the limits of size and design.”
To create her pieces, Roberts makes a clay model into which she embeds copper features. The piece is then covered with a refractory plaster material. When the clay is removed from the mold, the metal is left behind in the plaster. A glass paste, made of crushed glass frit and a binder, is layered around the metal and built up to create the walls of the object.
To create her pieces, Roberts makes a clay model into which she embeds copper features. The piece is then covered with a refractory plaster material. When the clay is removed from the mold, the metal is left behind in the plaster. A glass paste, made of crushed glass frit and a binder, is layered around the metal and built up to create the walls of the object.
When the piece is fired the copper is fused into the glass permanently. After removing the glass piece from the kiln the plaster mold is carefully removed and destroyed in the process, making each piece a one-of-a-kind sculpture. The glass has a soft, luminous quality, while being opaque and highly textured, as is characteristic of pâte de verre. The edges are very thin and quite randomly and organically formed, creating an intricate and delicate outline for the sculptures. Pâte de verre is a technique that was first developed by the ancient Egyptians, but Patty has added her own contemporary flair, creating dramatic sculpture for today.