The Story Behind The 2013 World Championship Trophies
Rick tells the story here: "Excited to create something special I went to work on a pattern for a kite. I thought of creating a kite of glass and the best way would be to fuse and slump the idea. First I made a paper template of a kite without air and flat on the table. This was not to scale but scaled for a trophy. Using the template I cut the glass to fit and then assembled many pieces to mimic the creative fabric on all of the kites. Here I use a mosaic technique that I created and call my Adventures in Paradise Series, for the panels of the kite. There were several layers of glass which had to be heated up to 1400 degrees Fahrenheit and melted or fused to make one solid piece. This technique is called Fusing. The piece is then cooled and put back in to the kiln over a half round mold to allow the glass to heat up to 1150 degrees Fahrenheit and bend or "slump" to the shape. This technique is called Slumping or Bending. The glass is then cooled slowly to allow the tempering or annealing to release the stress caused by shrinkage. The glass then had to be reinforced in the corner for mounting on the wood. Many thanks to Steve Sadler for donating the wood and making the wooden bases for the trophies. We set the glass kites on their corner to instill a feeling of flying the kite. The final trophy now will be awarded the Brass Plaque with the winners and contest information. Hope the winners enjoy the energy and creativity that went into these trophies as much as I did making them."
Rick Strini, Strini Art Glass, will be celebrating his 50th Anniversary in Glass this upcoming year. Visit his new web site www.striniartglasscustomlighting.com.
The KSP sends their appreciations to Rick Strini and Steve Sadler for this amazing collaboration and the surely more than desirable 2013 World Championship Trophies!
