Collection: Christine Byrne

Christine Byrne – Fused Glass Artist
I am a warm glass and jewellery artist dividing my time between two hectares of heaven in
the Adelaide Hills and a Victorian cottage Berkeley, California. My work is nature-inspired
and my selection of working glass and projects is strongly influenced by the textures and
colors of Australia’s landscapes, flora, and fauna.
Although a practicing glass artist for almost 30 years, my retirement from university
administration let me pursue a new passion for warm or ‘fused’ glass. I individually select
sheets of hand-cast glass, taking note of and balancing the competing glass chemistries.
Each piece is cut, layered, overlayed and fused in a kiln. After the initial fuse, I often employ
cold work, refining and hand-polishing the blanks with water and grit to achieve the perfect
edge. These finished plates are returned to the kiln to be formed into simply elegant bowls
and platters, and carefully annealed for strength and durability. The spare shapes of the
pieces set off the organic exuberance of the layered glass, and quite often require multiple
molds to achieve the desired form. I strive for work that can delight as a display or serve
with aplomb.
My fused glass has been featured at The Artist’s Loft in Oakland, California, Pepper Street
Arts Centre in Adelaide, The Atelier in Crafers, South Australia, The Piedmont Center for the
Arts in California, and the juried exhibit Above Board – The Artful Dining Experience, at Clay
Hand Studios in Fresno, California.