Gabriele Küstner

Glass fuser

©Gabriele Kustner

Celebrating colour through glass

Gabriele makes colourful fused glass objects
Functional shapes have always interested her
She loves the freedom of being completely independent

“At the age of ten, my father gave me books by Victor Vasarely, the leader of the op art movement, whose work had a great impact on me,” says Gabriele Küstner. She later trained as a glass coldworker at the Staatliche Glasfachschule Hadamar in Germany, before spending a year in Tennessee, US, where she had access to a glassblowing facility. After some time she was able to pull glass cane in different colours and overlays. By the mid 1980s she started her own studio in Germany. A fusing class, which she took a few years later, introduced her to the possibility of using china paint to colour glass rods from the outside. Over the years she has refined that process and developed her own very personal style.

Interview

Why did you choose to work in craftsmanship?: Glass and colour have always captured my interest from my childhood onwards. Working with my hands to create something was also my main interest while I was growing up, so it came very naturally to me.
Do you come from a family of artisans?: My ancestors were glassblowers on the island of Murano in Italy. They later migrated to the Baltic States and took on different professions. I am the first in that line to work with glass once again, and typically in a very Italian style.
In what way is your craft linked to the region you live in?: There are not many people in Germany doing artistic glass work in their own studios. I think it is a question of how good the educational situation for glass is in my country. The better the education the more likely you have artists working in that field and generating an income.
How long does it take to complete one of your works?: It takes a long time! The coldwork on a large plate can take up to 20 hours, and that does not include the preparation work. But I never really count the hours, because what is important to me is just the final result.

Gabriele Küstner is a master artisan: he began his career in 1981 and he started teaching in 2004