Sandblasting glasswork has evolved as a contemporary art form used to manipulate glass surfaces to form creative patterns and designs. Spanish artist Alberto Murillo incorporates the process of sandblasting in his colorful mixed media pieces for frosted accents and to create contrast and texture on the face of each work of art.
In Murillo’s piece, “Echo” {above}, the artist uses a vibrant palette of colors that are swathed and poured onto wood in a blocking effect. He then takes a sandblaster to the surface of the piece, removing a layer, thereby making a frosted geometric design stand out against the bright colors and contrast beneath.
In Murillo’s “Just Two Drops: Blue,” he places a perfect stencil replication of a Chanel No. 5 bottle on top of the layers of poured resin before he begins the sandblasting process. Using a sandblaster and an air compressor to power the system, which blasts high pressure abrasives into the glass, the artist is able to chip away the surface, revealing a frosted effect that forms his design.
The longer the artist sandblasts, and the harder the pressure, the deeper the exposed parts of the stencil are etched into the glass. This technique provides a subtle and clean three-dimensional effect to each work of art.
Murillo isolates each Coca Cola bottle in “Message in a Bottle,” in a clean-cut stencil before beginning the sandblasting process. The effect frosts the negative space surrounding his bottles, leaving us with a matte backdrop that allows the shiny coke bottles with crisp edges to reveal organic layers of boldly colored resin.
Curious to see more of these elegant and dramatic works of art? Follow our blog for new acquisitions by artist Alberto Murillo to discover more of his mixed media pieces created through his skilled method of sandblasting.
