bernard katz

He begins his engraved designs by hand blowing a glass vessel onto which his engraved design will be created. Some are blown in a single transparent color which is encased in clear crystal for added brilliance.

He designs and executes each piece himself, using glassblowing techniques that date back to antiquity. His shapes are created by freely manipulating the molten glass, without use of molds, at temperatures in excess of 2000 degrees F

For his famous Tree Series, he blows vessels in a transparent color accented by a darker, contrasting layer that is mostly etched away to create the design. The metallic surface on the Tree Series is achieved through a technique called reduction, in which glass with silver nitrate in its formula is heated until the elements come to the surface, forming a metallic skin.

The engraving process he uses dates back to the 1870s and involves high pressure etching with fine grain sand. The work is tedious and risky, since one slip or mistake can destroy a piece.

Katz begins by masking the entire piece with pressure resistant tape, onto which he draws his design in precise detail. Although he may repeat themes, each work is unique, having been created to fit the particular color and shape of the blank vase.

Using special blades, he cuts and removes sections of tape one at a time as he engraves the design. Finally, each vase is signed and dated.

He has worked in glass since 1986 and earned his bachelor’s degree in Glassblowing and Sculpting from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Following graduation, he worked with well known glass artists Leon Applebaum, David Garcia and Samuel Bloom before setting out on his own.

He has created work on commission from Hyatt Regency, and his work is included in numerous private and public collections throughout the United States. Recently, one of his pieces was presented to the winner of the Nobel Prize for literature.