The Birds

The birds are all handcrafted from clear sheets of glass, topped with coloured glass. No paints or glazes are used for colour, and no molds (moulds if you're British) are used for the shape. All glass is cut by hand. The coloured and patterned parts of the birds plumage are layers of crushed glass!

I use coloured glass "frit" which has been finely ground into a powder. The texture is somewhere between icing sugar and sand.

I apply the glass powder to a clear glass bird shape that I've previously hand cut and prepared for firing!

For the perched birds, metal wire "legs" are sandwiched between the successive layers of sheet glass. The birds are placed in an electric kiln for fusing.

The kiln firing takes at least 14-16 hours plus cooling time, and the kiln isn't opened until the glass has cooled to room temperature.  

After firing, hanging birds have a small hole drilled in their head or neck using a diamond bit and a water bath. The bird sun-catchers are threaded with discrete clear illusion cord. 

I initial each bird on its reverse side, and brand the wood perches with a custom branded logo.

I've made quite a number of birds over the last 10 years. Some designs are no longer in production or are made as special firings only. Here's a list of the birds I can remember so far!

Barn Owl, Baltimore Oriole, Blackbird, Bluebird, Blue Jay, Cardinal (male and female), Cedar Waxwing, Chickadee, Crow, Eagle, Goldfinch (male and female), Red Winged Blackbird, Ruby Throated Hummingbird, Junco, Kingfisher (female and male, Rosey Faced Lovebird, Mallard, Red Breasted Nuthatch, Piping Plover, Puffin, Robin (North American and British) Sandpiper, Seagull, Steller's Jay, Tree Swallow, and Woodpecker

Although I don't take custom orders, I do keep a "wish list" of birds. Let me know if there's a bird you'd particularly like to me to make.