Fusing & Kiln Forming

At Judson Studios, our respect for tradition and dedication to innovation has made us a leader in the world of fused and kiln formed glass. Kiln-formed glass unifies layers of glass through heat. Consisting of fusing, slumping, and low relief; kiln-formed glass is used to achieve brilliant effects in glass that were not previously possible in traditional stained glass.

Examples of tradiontally stained and leaded glass windows (left) compared to similar work done in fused glass (right).

Fused glass can either be leaded or produced in a single 8-foot by 4-foot panel. We work directly with our clients to understand specific needs in design, fabrication, and installation. Our glass is sourced from the Bullseye Glass Co. factory in Portland, Oregon, and all steps of production take place in our Los Angeles-area facilities. This ensures that your kiln-formed and fused glass projects are made entirely in the United States. 

Narcissus Quagliata: Director of Innovation

Narcissus Quagliata was born in Rome, Italy in 1942 where he studied painting with Giorgio De Chirico. Narcissus moved to the United States at the age of 19 and studied at the San Francisco Art Institute receiving his Masters in Painting & Graphics. Soon after graduation, he began working in glass and continues to use it as his principle form of artistic expression.

Quagliata splits his time between his home in Mexico City, Mexico and his ongoing residency here at Judson Studios in his role as our Director of Innovation. During his time at Judson Studios, Quagliata works with us to further develop our capabilities in fusing and helps guide our artist development program with artists like James Jean, Sarah Cain, Amir H. Fallah, and David Flores. Quagliata’s work with Judson Studios has fostered a space where we can introduce artists to the medium of stained and fused glass, as well as take a concept from an artist and successfully execute it in glass.

Narcissus has been featured in museum collections including: The Metropolitan Museum, New York, New York; De Young Museum, San Francisco, California; Museum of Light, Mexico City, Mexico; Museum of Glass, San Ildefonso, Segovia, Spain; and many others. His major works include: Wind, Fire and Time, a 6700-square-foot, public commissioned, fused and stained glass dome in the Central Station of Taiwan’s metro system in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (2008); Divinity in Light, a dome of glass over the entry Rotunda of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome, Italy (1999); Return to the Cosmos, a 360-square-foot backlit glass mural in an office tower lobby at Reforma 115, Mexico City, Mexico, (2004); and The Resurrection Window in Leawood Kansas, a 3,440-square-foot, fused glass window created with Judson Studios (2017). Quagliata has twice received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts for his work in the U.S.