Sans Soucie
Art Glass Studios, Inc.

Since 1976

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Frosted Glass, Inside & Out!

October 22nd, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

etched glass pattern frameless doors shredded

INSIDE View. Jagged Peaks all glass doors.

OUTSIDE View. Jagged Peaks, all glass doors.

OUTSIDE View.

What a difference a VIEW makes!

The main factor that will change the viewing appearance of any of our etched, carved or stained glass is one thing, and one thing only:  LIGHT!   And in the case of our art glass, being ARCHITECTURAL Art Glass primarily illuminated with natural sunlight (which, by the way is really the best form of lighting for it), is the time of day, and whether you’re viewing from inside our outside!

As you’ll see in the examples included in this blog, glass and the artwork applied to it will take on a completely different effect, depending on how the light is hitting it.

The most obvious difference comes when the glass is viewed from inside or outside of the home or building, and whether it’s day or night, the factors change again.  Colors will change, details in the carving will stand out and the visibility thru the glass will change as well.  One of the best examples we can give you is the “Jagged Peaks” all glass doors.  These doors were photographed in the day, are ½” thick bronze glass, and have been sandblasted with a frosted pattern on the outside surface.  From the outside, the glass takes on a dark brown hue, and creates a nice level of privacy when looking in.  Viewing the glass “from the inside out”, it looks completely different.  The glass almost appears clear, but if you were to look at “clear” glass side by side, you’d see the difference.

frosted glass doors window geometric out

"Sun Odyssey", viewed from OUTSIDE.

frosted glass doors window geometric in

Inside View

When viewed at night, the opposite becomes true.  The glass is illuminated from the inside, and so when viewed at night, as you approach the door, you would be able to see IN to the house or building.   The same rings true, even on clear glass.  Viewed at night from inside the house, the glass will appear darker and take on a different look.  It’s really one of the great things about glass .. light changes everything and the art glass will have a different look depending on the time of day you’re viewing it.

Visit our special Effects & Techniques page on our web site, to read more about the different types we use that create different looks.   We found a very interesting web site called GlassFacts.info that you might also be interested in.  Another interesting article is Glass Facts, the History of Glass.

etched carved glass squares pattern doors

"Squares Pattern", grey glass, viewed from OUTSIDE.

etched carved glass squares pattern doors inside

Inside View

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Posted in Abstract Designs, Definitions & Terms, Glass Facts, Techniques & Effects | No Comments »

Color! Color! Painted glass in our etched glass designs

October 8th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

etched glass painted butterfly in glass
Click on any image in the blog to see the full size piece and enlarged photo!

A great custom feature that is added an additional design element to many of our etched and carved glass is COLOR!  From soft hints to deep, bold hues, color adds another beautiful dimension to any carved texture or design.

More often than not, color is added as a “highlight” to only certain portions of the design, as you’ll see on most of the examples I’m including in this blog.   etched glass painted tropical fishFor example, we’ll add color to the fish and some of the plant life in a tropical aquarium design, but not to the background areas.  Very often when we’ve done “Reeds” designs, the design will include a hummingbird, and only the hummingbird has been painted while the reeds were left “white” sandblasted only.   Desert scenes will have some of the foliage and boulders, or even the palm trees painted, but the majority of the design will remain unpainted, like the foreground, mountains and clouds.

etched glass carved painted pear cactusCarved and painted signs are very popular and we can custom match any color for any logo.  We color match to items in the decor like flooring, walls, wallpaper, fabrics, or other decorative art pieces that may be near the glass, etc.  In most cases, the color used will be transparent so the light can pass thru, which creates a beautiful, colorful “glow” in the glass.  We do also apply solid colors, which will block the light from passing thru, but will add a perfect, custom element by pulling an exact color match between, say, flooring and a glass door.carved painted glass window cross with beams crown

There’s one particular piece we did a few years ago, that out of all our work, I believe might be the most “colorFUL” piece we’ve ever done.  It was an interior glass window commissioned for the Inyokern Baptist Church, Inyokern, California.  The window features a cross with “beams” surrounding and extending from it with a crown above the cross.  Color was applied to 100% of the glass surface, and the colors chosen were deep, bright yellow, orange, turquoise, purple and neon pink.   The glass is back-lit with flourescent lighting and  has the appearance of “stained, leaded glass”, but all achieved thru sandblast carving and painting the glass.

Early stained glass, incidentally began by very similarly painting the glass, just as we’ve done on this cross piece.  For a great story about the history of stained glass, read “The History of Stained Glass” on the Stained Glass Assoc. web.

etched glass carved painted shower glass gold chunk textureColor matching is of course very specific, so in most cases we will create color samples for your approval, to be sure that the color is correct.   Color is popular for every type of product we create, from etched carved glass doors, windows, showers, couunters and tables, dividers and mirrors.  For items such as exterior door or window glass, we will caution you that if the glass is exposed to direct sunlight, colors can and likely will fade over a period of time, IF they’re exposed to direct sunlight.  They won’t likely “disappear” but can fade.  etched glass painted hummingbird blue yellowA personal experience we had that really “stood the test of time”, was the front door glass we had for many years.  It was a Southwest landscape design that featured adobe houses, a beautiful clay pot, and colorful clay pot draped on a ladder.   The glass was installed in 1990, and in 2003, the glass was actually moved to a different home (a beautiful, southwest adobe style home, perfect for the southwest design in the glass).  To this day, over 20 years later (!),  the color still remains!   In both homes, however, the front door did not receive direct sunlight.

etched glasss carved painted palm trees in glassAdding color does take our artists more than twice the time to create, (in most cases, it will actually take longer to apply the color than it does to sandblast the design).   All areas of the design have to be “re-masked” after sandblasting.  This takes our artists many, many hours to achieve and so of course adding color the design will increase cost.  But it does make a huge statement and adds a very rich element to the design.

Visit our Carved & Painted Glass Gallery on our web site, to see  many examples of various types of glass products that feature color.

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Posted in Color in Glass, Definitions & Terms, Desert Designs, Patterns & Textures, Techniques & Effects, Tropical Designs, painted glass | No Comments »

Positive & Negative Sandblast Techniques

August 28th, 2009 by lgannett – Comments (0)

At Sans Soucie, we use a variety of different sandblast effects and techniques in our work.  For the most part, the pieces we create are achieved through what’s called “multi-stage sandblasting”, where the design elements are carved, one small part a time, layer upon layer, achieving a multi-dimensional effect in the design.

This grape cluster and leaves are a "multi-stage" sandblast. Each grape has been sandblasted one at a time.

This grape cluster and leaves are a "multi-stage" sandblast. Each grape has been sandblasted one at a time.

A more common technique used in sandblasted glass, is called a “single stage sandblast”.  It’s “one stage”, in that the entire template is cut and all the elements or portions that will be sandblasted are removed at the same time, then the entire surface is sandblasted at the same time.   Within this technique, are two “effects” or finishes:   They’re what’s referred to as  a “postive” or “negative” sandblast.

The positive sandblast is where the elements within the design remain clear glass and the background area of the glass is solid etched.

Obviously the negative sandblast provides for obscurity and so this technique is used for the majority of products like pantry or door glass where privacy is desired.

Cabinet Glass. Left door glass is Positive, right is negative.

Cabinet Glass. Left door glass is a positive sandblast, right panel is negative.

"Pegasus" door glass design. Negative sandblast.

"Pegasus" door glass design. Negative sandblast.

"Pegasus" door glass design, positive sandblast.

"Pegasus" door glass design, positive sandblast.

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Posted in Borders, Cabinet Glass, Definitions & Terms, Door Glass, Freeform Designs, Geometric Designs, Glass Facts, Grapevines & Ivy Designs | No Comments »