Austin-based jewelry and eyewear brand VADA announces its forthcoming collaboration with fellow independent artist, Austin Elisabeth Fields, entitled “Bubbles”. Fields, originally from Texas, is a glassblower currently residing and cultivating her art practice in Los Angeles. Her work is informed by light, natural landscapes and the female form. The commissioned, hand-blown glass sculptures are offered in dark brown “Mud”, iridescent “Texas Sun”, and oiled & etched matte sand “Tobacco”.
Fields’ process of creating each sculpture begins with a clear juicy gathering of 1200 degree molten glass into the formation of a tiny bubble. Next, a custom-mixed glass color is evenly applied and stretched over the surface of the bubble which is then gathered over again to create the form’s mass & volume. For the duration of one approximately one hour, the bubble endures a consistent cycle of heating, blowing and sculpting with gravity and tools until it has reached the ideal shape and size. While holding folded wet layers of newspaper over her hands, Fields then gently presses into the hot bubble and begins sculpting while an assistant blows into the other end of the pipe- this step creates resistance and expansion. Once the bubble sculpture has been annealed (cooled) for 12 hours, the bottom is ground to a polish. Finally, depending on the desired surface, the bubble is either etched and oiled for a soft satin finish.
SHOP AUSTIN ELISABETH FIELDS FOR VADA