Chuck Whitlock, on the process of photo & glass fusion:
My photo-fused glasswork, which may take 50 – 90 hours to kiln-fuse in numerous firings, unites photos, art glass, and the interplay of light in multiple layers of glass. My goal is to create intriguing images deep inside thick, multilayered glass to draw in viewers for a closer look. I never tire of answering the question, “How did you do that?”
While I was excited to know that people were learning from and enjoying my television reports, speeches, and true-crime books, it is now my hope that people will enjoy my multi-layered, fused-glass art projects and find the unique process as fascinating as I do. Although many think of glass as rigid and simple (if they think about it at all), I find it to be beautifully complex and full of possibilities.
After producing stained and fused-glass artwork for some years, I began combining my interest in photography with my love of art glass. My subject matter can be anything a photographer might shoot, although I am especially partial to emotive scenes found in nature. Deep inside my kiln-fused pieces you might find images of beautiful landscapes, close-ups of small subjects such as flowers, and vivid images of wildlife which have been permanently married to layers of art glass.
I may select subjects from my own photographs, or I may use a customer’s personal photo to design an individualized, custom piece. On occasion, I may collaborate with professional photographers like Paul Schreiber and Alan Morris to create special works of art.
To complement my glasswork, I add dramatic stone bases, custom-made frames of walnut or cherry wood, and handmade metal bases.