Robin Kittleson of Geneva, Illinois, creates striking art glass of timeless modern beauty, using an ancient glassmaking technique known as murrine. The Museum Store carries a selection of Kittleson’s contemporary line of ethereal mosaic glass plates and platters. Each piece is handmade and one of a kind.
Her process relies on the old Venetian technique for making kiln-formed mosaic glass. Murrine, or murrino, is the Italian term for colored patterns made using long glass rods, or cane. The exciting colorations are revealed when the canes are crosscut in sliced sections.
“People have an expected idea of how the murrine process is supposed to be used,” Kittleson said, noting that murrini cane is typically used as an accent in blown glass vessels, jewelry, and photo frames. “I like how you can take this old tradition and use it in a different way. I said, ‘What if you used it en masse, for larger projects? It’s a natural evolution of my own design sense.’”
Kittleson forms the cane by layering thin colors on top of one another to build concentric circles, and then pulls the hot glass rods like taffy to create long lengths. Once cooled, the unique and complex cane is cut into small bits. She works by standing the small pieces on their ends and assembling them into a tight geometric design.
She uses hundreds, sometimes thousands, of murrini for one plate! Once the artist is satisfied with the assembly, the piece is put into a kiln to become molten, which melds it into a solid, flat surface.
Once the piece has cooled, Kittleson moves on to what is known as a coldworking process, whereby she polishes the edges and sands the surface of each plate for a matte satin finish. “I prefer to remove the gloss so there isn’t a reflection to detract from all the detail I put into the piece,” she said.
The plate then goes back into the kiln on a mold. In this final step, the intense heat softens the glass just enough that it falls into the mold she has chosen so it may take its final shape.
“I like to keep my pieces thicker than traditional glass,” she explained, “so you can see into and through it. The light bounces around and gives you a sense of depth in a very shallow space.”
They are simply stunning when displayed upright where the light can illuminate them.
Kittleson said her serving plates, platters, and flat bowls are meant to be used as part of everyday life, a pragmatic philosophy that has influenced her design over the years. The serving ware is both food- and dishwasher-safe.
“I have always lived in a small house with no storage, so I have to be thoughtful about what I bring into my home,” she said. “Each piece has to be functional as well as decorative.”
Kittleson earned a bachelor of fine arts degree from Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri, and worked as a graphic designer for many years. “I did that to earn a living, but I always had a studio practice on the side,” she said.
The Illinois native used to make hand-painted textiles in her studio, all the while exploring different media. She discovered glass around 2005 and “completely fell in love with it.”
“It changes constantly,” she said of glass. “As the lighting and angles change, glass always looks different. Think about the intensity of the color, the transparency of the color. It’s just beautiful.”
“The more you know, the more you can do,” she added. “You can play with the chemistry and science and math, and take the materials and alter them in the way you want to.”
Please call for more information, or visit the Princeton University Art Museum Store to see a selection of beautiful Robin Kittleson glass.
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