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| Gallery Archive | Piece of the month |
Galería Azul, located in Cozumel, Mexico, is the showplace for glass artist Greg Dietrich. At the gallery you will be able to view Greg's cameo engraved blown glass as well as works from a wide range of other Cozumel artists.
The process:
In
order to create his pieces, Greg must first blow the glass that
he is to engrave upon. This process is completed in the United
States, primarily in Seattle. During
the glassblowing process, he makes large spheres or flattened
shapes that have as many as three layers of color on the exterior
surface. Once the glass has cooled, he cuts the spheres into various
shapes and sizes. The pieces are then packed up and taken to Cozumel,
Mexico, which is where he resides.
Greg does
the engraving work in Cozumel. Sitting at an engraving lathe,
he patiently carves away at the glass using diamond wheels. Working
with the layers of color that he created during the blowing process,
he is able to make "drawings" in glass. He can get various
tones from just one color by partially removing the layer of colored
glass. Or, by completely removing a layer, he exposes the contrasting
color that lays beneath. This process is known as cameo engraving.
Greg's subject matter is the beauty which surrounds him in Cozumel and the adjoining areas of the Yucatan Peninsula. Pieces are influenced by the Mayan ruins, the vast coral reefs that surround the island, and almost any type of animal found in nature.
The pieces are mounted in a variety of bases. Metal, wood, stone, or no base at all, letting the shape of the glass support it. He also works extensively with illumination. Taking advantage of the translucency of the glass, combined with mahogany bases, he creates unique lamps that are really illuminated engravings.
