Case Study:
Flame Glass and Metal Garden Sculpture

The Brief

When the call came from the client it was to meet up and see whether we were the right studio to consider for a glass and metal garden sculpture that they had been thinking about for a few years. It wasn’t until they saw our glass that they were struck that this was the medium they wanted in the garden.

With the description of the views from the house and fire pit area we agreed that we should take a visit, look at the gardens and chat about the approach and design for the sculpture commission. We took a few photos, talked about how the sculpture might display, discussed colours and how the sculpture might work in the gardens.

Then it was over to us to come up with some ideas and designs to go forward.

Planning

The decision was to go with an adaptation of the initial design to create a glass flame sculpture that was one metre in diameter and could be seen from the house as well as the relaxing fire pit area. To enable this, we proposed a rotating iron framework for the glass sculpture to be placed in, so that it could be viewed from both locations in the garden with a simple turn of the sculpture; it would also allow for the sculpture to turn if there were high winds.

A number of designs were then created and the choices were whittled down to one last design. Once finalised, we set about ordering in our materials and creating the complicated interweaving flames that operated on two differing levels. Once the complicated cutting and fitting was complete it was into the kiln for firing.

Action

It was agreed that we would also laminate the final glass sculpture for both safety and for depth. So once the final kilnformed glass was moved from the kiln to the design station we spent some time making sure that the final finish and fit was exact to the second layer of glass.

It is this attention to detail that really finishes off the garden sculpture to our high standards. Then the lamination is carried out and the final piece is ready for the frame build. We worked with a local metal sculptor to ensure that we had the frame created to size and went for a mild steel frame that could patinate to orange over time and work with the colours of the glass.

Result

The glass completed, we were able to invite the client back to the studio to see their glass commission and they were both amazed and pleased with how the final design came together. Next step was the installation.

Finally, it was time to settle the glass and metal sculpture into its pride of place in the gardens. Being such a large piece, we worked with the sculptor to set the base into the ground securely and then locate the glass securely into its final destination. Sealing up the edges, the sculpture was ready to be enjoyed in its beautiful setting.
It is always great to see the client’s reaction to the finished piece along with talk about how it might be lit and plans for the planting around the sculpture once the new season came around.

So, if you are ever interested in adding a touch of original glass and metal sculpture design into your gardens why not contact us and discuss how you could add your originality, colour and dreams within your garden.

Find out about commissioning your own glass art