David Haberer
Fused Glass Artist
David Haberer has over 40 years of experience as an art director and graphic designer and finds his proficiency on the computer and formal training in fine art are perfectly suited to his newfound love of kiln-formed glass art. There are so many techniques to explore in fused glass beyond cutting. To name a few he is currently exploring: glass frit (crushed glass) and powders, glass enamel, stacking and melting glass to create part sheets for use in finished glass artwork, and fusing under pressure which produces incredibly thin glass bowls and dishes.
His inspiration comes from many areas including historical pattern making, quilts, crop circles, studies of great artists, walks and hikes in nature, and so much more. Of particular interest are the underlying armatures and symmetry used by classical artists. Whether the piece under construction is purely geometric or an exploration of symbolic or representation subjects, it is fundamental to David to create an aesthetic of harmony through classic compositional tools like golden proportions, thirds, and twelve-point composition.
Dave designs on the computer and then combines these detailed templates with his intuitive color compositions. Once the glass is cut to a precise fit using hand tools and a grinder, they are then fused together into one sheet of glass in high-temperature kilns (kiln forming). Once the piece has “full fused” and annealed it can be cold-worked further to perfect the edges and surface using both power and hand diamond tools. It can then be slumped into a mold at slightly lower temperatures to assume the shape of a bowl, plate, or platter if desired, or simply left flat for mounting on a wall.
As he begins this “second” art career a fun quote comes to mind from a modern art icon, Frank Stella:
“As far as I was concerned, with the early paintings, I liked them, I thought they were pretty good, but I didn’t think it was the end of the world. I also thought of it as a kind of structure, a base to build on. So this proves I can do this and that, and they don’t collapse, so then what can I do from here? How can I build on it?”
— Frank Stella
Scroll through the images in the online gallery to view a selection of work. It has all stuck together rather nicely so far. If you have any questions or are interested in commissioning a special piece of glass art, please do not hesitate to contact me.
To see Dave’s work in person it is being displayed at ICEFIRE Glassworks in Cannon Beach, OR.