Lampwork is fascinating territory in the greater world of glass
art. Its unique technical and aesthetic opportunities command
the attention of a growing number of artists and appreciators
around the globe. Every method of manipulating glass-whether
"hot," "warm" or "cold"-brings out a different aspect of this
amazing material. While lampworking shares some methods with
other hot techniques, it is set apart by the primary use of a
focused, directional heat source: the torch flame. This makes a
unique vocabulary of techniques available for detailed work. It
also lends itself to the assembly of component pieces into
larger objects. Artists using this technique are therefore
challenged to make the best use of this quality, or to transcend
it in an internal aesthetic confrontation.  Lampwork has an
ongoing relationship with science, more so than other glass
fields. The first microscope lenses were formed by lampworking,
and countless crucial developments in chemistry, physics and
other sciences have depended on ap