[Atelier visit] A glass artist; Emiko Tanoue

The atelier of Emiko Tanoue, renowned for her beautiful glass works, locates in a small apartment room in Osaka.

the normal kitchen has been remodeled into her secret atelier: small chamber for core-formed glass (*1) burner flame works (*2), and air duct  are placed. “isn’t it like a scientist’s  lab in an sf movie?” laughs son, who  with also as creator.

Tanoue is a Japanese glass artist known for the delicate core-formed sake cups, beads, accessories and objects. In most of her works, she harmonizes glass and metallic leaves such as foils of gold, silver, copper ad platinum.

Attracted by minerals since her childhood, she has been frequently picking up stones even today with her family.

Now, with her son, as a unit named Keisagumi (literally “a unit of silicone and sand”), creates works out of metals, stones and glasses.

She is versed in materials and carefully selects colour glasses at the glass maker which she visits by herself.

She is a very enthusiastic learner and passionately talks about her hand-made facilities, materials, and anything we asked.

The photos below picture the work “Sange,” (meaning falling flowers) by Keisagumi, awarded with gold award at International Exhibition of Glass Kanazawa2019.

We had the privilege to see the making of these works at her atelier this time.

△Sandblasted Core-formed glasses

Metallic leaves, beautifully show different expression in flames, in accordance with the changing temperature of the glass. Such beautiful transition was something even we, maker of metallic leaves, have never seen.

She has developed her own techniques and wisdom over and over the experiments. For instance, when having a piece of silver leaf on the surface of the glass, she has to have 1-2 pieces of gold leaves underneath the silver leaf, so it would not melt away.

These are the glasses sticks with copper leaves and silver leaves melted in. She made them in front of us.

△Glass mixed with copper leaves (Left）and silver leaves (right) in flame.

When heated and well-mixed with the glass, metallic leaves get scaly cracked and scattered. When melting, copper leaves turn clear blue and silver leaves turn bright yellow. It was a surprise to us -even though we have worked with metal over the generations…- and breath-takingly beautiful.

*Core-formed glass: The oldest technique of forming glass developed in Mesopotamia civilization. Forming “core” with flame-resilient clay on the edge of metallic bar and covering it with melted glass.

*Flame works: Also called lamp works, shaping bar-shaped glass over the burning flame. Used for diverse glass works such as beads, dolls, glasses and accessories.

＜Emiko Tanoue- profile＞

Born in Kobe, Hyogo in 1955. Started working on lamp works around 1985, awarded in various exhibitions, including Japan Craft Exhibition. Has held many exhibitions as groups and as an individual.

【instagram】https://www.instagram.com/emiko_tanoue/

【Facebook】https://www.facebook.com/emikotanoueglass

【web site】http://glassemiko.seesaa.net/