Skylined Chalice
Blown, cut, sandblasted; airbrushed oil paint - 1981
When Jay Musler made this vessel, which was inspired by an aerial view of a city at sunset, it was a sensation because it was good, but also because of how it was made. Today, glassblowers are capable of blowing a bowl this size, but in the early 1980's, studio artists did not have the ability to achieve this scale. Musler took an industrial flask made of Pyrex, the borosilicate glass made by Corning, and cut off the top. He then cut the rim into a "skyline," sandblasted the surface, and applied paint onto the glass with an airbrush commonly used for automotive painting.
When Jay Musler made this vessel, which was inspired by an aerial view of a city at sunset, it was a sensation because it was good, but also because of how it was made. Today, glassblowers are capable of blowing a bowl this size, but in the early 1980's, studio artists did not have the ability to achieve this scale. Musler took an industrial flask made of Pyrex, the borosilicate glass made by Corning, and cut off the top. He then cut the rim into a "skyline," sandblasted the surface, and applied paint onto the glass with an airbrush commonly used for automotive painting.
