Giorgio is not a glass artist in the traditional sense, though he possesses the ability to make ordinary vases, animals and figurines you find all over Murano. Giorgio’s talent lies in making the extraordinary. In his vision, Cinderella doesn’t have only glass shoes, but Cinderella has a Glass Castle and he boasts an entirely glass Greek Temple. He works both traditionally (with the blow pipe) for his animals, dragons and chandeliers.

He uses lost was casting for a variety of pieces of art. Lost wax kiln casting is a versatile method for making glass pieces in almost any form imaginable. The process involves creating a refractory mold around a wax model. The wax is then removed—or “lost”—creating a cavity. Glass is cast into the cavity, resulting in a fully sculptural finished piece.

His work shop covers a rambling acreage on the island of Serenella in the Murano islands bringing his ideas to life away from the busy tourist paths of Murano. It also includes fruit trees and bees. Inside, the workshop is a glimpse into the mind of a true artist. He is a large, gentle Muranese who speaks in a soft voice and loves discussing his art. He creates glass pieces for the who’s who of fashion and is the go-to for large pieces like this.

The Greek Temple is about 5 feet tall. In the forefront, you can see other projects evolving. The flowers are pieces of a chandelier, while the blue mold appears to be a soccer field.

Here you can see the evolution of his creation with the small version and to the right the wax for the casting of Red Square, Moscow. Behind on the shelves are previous projects and ideas for the future.

His work in the traditional Murano Glass furnace involves melting sand, soda ash, and limestone. For colors, very specific quantities of minerals are required.

A stash of blow pipes surround the furnace. Blow pipes are used to make hollow glass articles like vases, bowls and bottles. While the Pontil (Punt, Punty Rod) is a long rod used when sculpting animals and also to transfer a blown piece to the annealing oven. Some of the items made on the end of the punty are shown

For more of his work and his unique story, visit his website Giorgio Giuma