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After spending
an apprenticeship with a renowned German glass artisan, Stephen Schlanser
opened his own stained glass studio in 1976 in California. However, in
1990, Mr. Schlanser decided to take the medium into a vastly untried territory.
After many months of designing, experimenting, and testing, Mr. Schlanser
presented his first edition of kiln-fired glass. All his effort was not
in vain, as his new glass was featured on the cover of Home and Garden
Magazine that very same year.
The long, intricate process of his work starts with large pieces of
plate glass, each piece being carefully shaped inside a closed kiln by
heating it to a near liquid state, at which point it gravitates from its
solid plate glass form to the shapes seen in the Schlanser line. When it
has reached the desired shape, it is then slowly cooled and annealed so
that the piece will be stable when it is removed. Because the glass used
is up to one inch thick, this process may take as long as 14 hours to complete,
making it very difficult for high production capabilities. After cooling,
each piece is carefully inspected for any flaws. Pieces that pass inspection
are then hand ground and polished with diamond wheels, and the etched designs
are high pressure sandblasted. Once each piece has endured these work stages
flawlessly, various polished or chipped bases are permanently attached
before Mr. Schlanser applies the finishing touch of his personal signature
and date.
Mr. Schlanser's designs can be found in the United States in stores
such as Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Martin Lawrence Galleries,
and Caesar's Palace Crystal Galleria; as well as in over 35 countries worldwide.
His work can also be found in the private collections of First Lady Hillary
Clinton, Steve Allen, Julie Andrews, Milton Berle, Garth Brooks, Van Halen,
Patti LaBelle, Jane Meadows, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone,
and Bruce Willis.
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