Roll-Up Glassblowing

The Roll-Up Technique: Bringing Glass Vases to Life

“It does not matter what material we use. We need the technique, and we need the idea. And then we need the poetry, the love that transforms the material into a piece of art.”— Lino Tagliapietra

Glass has always fascinated me. It is both fragile and strong, liquid and solid, transparent yet vibrant with color. It captures light, bends form, and carries within it a kind of alchemy—one that is both ancient and ever-evolving.

My collaboration with Ryan Staub from Seattle led me deeper into this mystery. Together, we brought my Vase series to life, working at Pacific Art Glass Studio in Gardena, CA. We employed the Roll-Up technique, a method that blends fused glass with traditional glassblowing. The process is delicate, demanding precision and intuition—a dance between fire, gravity, and skill.

The Magic of the Roll-Up Technique

If you’ve ever held a beautifully patterned glass object and wondered how those intricate designs formed within its curves, the Roll-Up technique holds the answer.

This method merges two glassmaking traditions:

Fused Glass – Individual pieces of glass are cut, arranged into patterns, and melted together in a kiln to form a single, unified sheet.

Glassblowing – Molten glass is gathered on a blowpipe, shaped, and expanded into a hollow form.

The magic happens when the fused sheet is heated until it becomes pliable and then rolled onto a molten gather on the blowpipe. The glassblower carefully fuses the sheet into the gather, stretching and shaping it into a three-dimensional form.

This technique creates stunning surface patterns, as the original fused design wraps around the curved shape of the final piece. The process is as unpredictable as it is rewarding—each vase becomes a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that reflects the dance of heat, breath, and motion.

View the the Roll-Up Technique

The Ancient Legacy of Glassblowing

The Roll-Up technique is a modern innovation rooted in an ancient craft. Glassblowing dates back to the first century BCE, when artisans in the Near East discovered how to shape molten glass using air and heat.

The Romans refined the technique, introducing mold-blowing, which allowed for intricate shapes and mass production. Later, in the Middle Ages, glassmakers across Europe pushed the craft further, developing colored glass for cathedral windows, delicate Venetian goblets, and stunning decorative pieces.

Glass has always been both a practical material and an art form, shifting between the hands of scientists, architects, and visionaries. It has been used to make scientific instruments, stained-glass masterpieces, and contemporary sculptures that defy gravity and expectation.

Today, artists like Dale Chihuly continue to push glassblowing into new frontiers, combining traditional techniques with experimental designs. The Roll-Up technique is part of this ongoing evolution—blending the precision of fused glass with the organic movement of glassblowing to create something entirely new.

View Dale Chihuly: Playing with Fire

Venetian Glass: The Enduring Art of Murano

“I do not invent anything new; I personalize something… And that makes it something that nobody has done before.”— Lino Tagliapietra

For centuries, the island of Murano, just off the coast of Venice, has been the epicenter of the world’s finest glass artistry.

In the 13th century, Venetian authorities moved all glassmakers to Murano to protect the city from fires caused by glass furnaces and safeguard the secrets of glass production. These artisans developed groundbreaking techniques, including:

Millefiori (Thousand Flowers) – Layering and melting colored glass rods to create intricate floral patterns.

Filigrana (Filigree Glass) – Twisting thin white or colored glass canes into delicate lace-like designs.

Sommerso (Submerged Glass) – Creating multiple layers of glass, resulting in pieces that appear to glow from within.

Today, Murano remains a symbol of artistic excellence, and its influence can be seen in studios around the world, from Seattle to Tokyo, from Venice to Los Angeles.

Every time I work with glass, I feel a connection to this lineage—to the unknown artisans who first shaped molten sand into something extraordinary, to the Venetian masters who refined it, and to the contemporary glassmakers who continue to push the boundaries of the medium.

View: The art of Murano glass

Reflections: Why Glass?

I often ask myself: Why does glass captivate me?

Perhaps it’s because glass, like life, is fragile yet resilient. It breaks, but it can also be repaired. It melts under heat, but in doing so, it transforms into something stronger, more beautiful.

Glass teaches me patience, presence, and respect for the unpredictable. It reminds me that art, like life, is not about absolute control—but about learning to work with what unfolds.

Each vase, each bowl, each sculpture is a testament to process over perfection—to the idea that true beauty comes from collaboration between artist and material, between tradition and innovation, between intention and the unknown.

As I continue to explore ceramics and glass, I see common threads between the two materials—each requiring patience, precision, and a willingness to embrace the unexpected. The Roll-Up technique, much like hand-building in ceramics, allows for artistic control while still honoring the natural movement of the material. In my journey with both mediums, I have discovered the power of transformation through fire, whether in the kiln or the furnace. You can read more about how I integrate glass and ceramic work in my practice here.

January 2018