About Studio Glass
Studio Glass offers an extensive line of fused glass products including suncatchers in a variety of motifs and sizes, windchimes, tableware, and jewellery, as well as traditional stained glass and glass mosaics. We have been located in the historic village of Maitland, Nova Scotia, Canada since 2002. Maitland is located at the mouth of the Shubenacadie River on the Minas Basin / Bay of Fundy side of Nova Scotia. Our very peculiar building houses our glass production studio, retail shop, classroom space and a fine art studio.

About the Artist
Sharon Laska (nee Phillips) was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta and has always had dual interests in Art and Science. Her formal education is in Biology (BSc.) and Geology (BSc. and MSc.), and she spent twenty years in geological field work and teaching. In 1978, Sharon attended an evening class on Stained Glass at Sheridan College of Art and Design in Mississauga, Ontario and knew she had "found" her medium. She created Studio Glass in 1980 to market her glass and began full time glass work in 1988. She started doing fused glass in 1996. Sharon does the design work and the fabrication of one of a kind pieces and commissioned works. Her staff of skilled assistants take care of most of the fused glass production work.

Sharon also draws and paints in several fine art media. Her work is available at Studio Glass in Maitland, Nova Scotia as well as at Gallery 215 in Selma, Nova Scotia.

About Fused Glass
Fused glass differs from the traditional stained glass in the method of assembly. The Egyptians and Romans were highly skilled in the art of fused glass, and it was the main art glass techique until around 500 AD. Fused glass more or less faded into the background as the development of blown glass and sheet forming techniques for stained glass flourished. In the last century, fused glass has undergone a long overdue and almost explosive renaissance. The art of fusing glass has become the technique of choice for many glass artists. Glass fusing is sometimes referred to as "warm glass".

Hand cut pieces of glass are layered on top of one another and fused together in a kiln. In general the glass is heated to a temperature where it sticks together or flows together in a limited way. The major difficulty in fusing glass is that the different pieces must be "compatible" by having the same thermal expansion rate, or "coefficient of expansion". That is they must expand and contract at the same rate. If the glass is not compatible, it will crack as it cools. A number of art glass manufacturers now make lines of glass that are pre-tested for compatibility. The colour choices for fused glass are somewhat more limitied than with stained glass because of this need for compatibility. Additional colours can sometimes be obtained by layering different colours of glass together.

The kilns used for fusing glass are usually broad and flat with elements in the walls and lid. The temperatures used range from about 1100 to 2000 degrees F. The glass is heated to fusing temperatures over about 3 hours, but the cooling cycle takes another 6 to 24 hours in order for the glass to "anneal" properly. Large or multilayered pieces can take much longer. The heating and cooling must be done slowly to prevent the glass from breaking due to thermal shock.

The design possibilities for fused glass are extensive and different from those that can be achieved with other glass techniques. Fused glass has a very pleasing smooth surface and a sparkle that cannot be matched by traditional stained glass.