Joanna Manousis

'Self-Contained Spray'

Blown/Kiln Cast Glass/Hand-Painted Enamel

'Self-contained Spray' has been fabricated using a complex range of glass working methodologies. Using the 'graal' technique in which a glass bubble is blown, sandblasted and hand-painted with high fire enamels, the graal portraying the chosen imagery is brought up to a peak temperature in a kiln, re-attached to a blow pipe and encased in glass. This is then blown out to the required bottle shape, its underside polished to peak clarity after cooling. The spray-can nozzle attachment is hand carved in wax, and, through various mould making techniques, cast in crystal in a kiln. Acid polishing brings this component to a clear finish, which is then UV bonded to the bottle canister to create the finished sculpture.