Gianluca Vidal

Gianluca Vidal – Murano Glass Master

Gianluca Vidal was born in Venice on July 1, 1976. At the young age of 14 he started to work with glass at the Studio Vetreria DP, on the Island of Murano. Here he studied under the Glass Maestro Imperio Rossi. After two years he decided to move to the studio of Effetre International. As the youngest glass worker in the studio and under the tutelage of the masters at Effetre, Gianluca began to learn the most difficult glass techniques and his talent as a glass maker began to emerge. Gianluca has worked over the years with many of the most important Glass Maestros on Murano; men
like Afro Celotto, Silvano Molin, Luciano Pavanello, Giancarlo Tagliapietra and Dino Vio. It is in this period that his colleagues give him the nickname “Crema”, due to his natural ability to gracefully shape glass as a “cream”. In 2000, while working at the Artistic Glass Factory Schiavon, he again has the opportunity to work with the great Maestro Afro Celotto, with whom he had also known at Effetre. One year later, after learning the techniques of filigrana, mosaics and tessere murrines, he decides to open a new studio with Afro Celotto and CarloTagliapietra. In 2009, when Afro Celotto left the studio, it gave Gianluca the chance to express his own talents and energy in his new collections.

Today Gianluca owns his own glass studio on Murano where each day he is creating new pieces that are being collected by art enthusiasts around the world. As far as process, it can be quite involved. If we skip past the 10-12 years that it takes to become reasonably competent with the techniques, it takes a particularly gifted glassblower to gain the title of “Master”. There are glassblowers on Murano who have worked in the studios for 60+ years who have never attained this status.

Vidal starts with colored glass canes. From these he twists, bends and pulls them into spectacularly complex Murrine and Zanfirico pieces. Then these pieces are cut and prepared on a metal plate in a particular pattern that will result in the intricate composition, or final pattern of the colors and shapes in the glass. The pieces on this plate are warmed while he prepares a “gather” of hot glass (around 2400 degrees) on the end of his blowpipe. At this point he also will create a small bubble in the gather. The gather is rolled over the warmed glass pieces in a “pick-up”. Next is a careful process of re-heating, rolling, shaping, blowing and adding more glass until he has all of the pieces perfectly fused together in one large mass of molten glass. After this the blowpipe is usually switched to a “punty” as no more air needs to be blown into the vase. The punty is also attached at a different location so the artist can change the “axis” of the vase. This technique is only mastered by a small number of artist but it allows for dramatic patterns to be made in the glass. The next step involves removing the vase from the punty and putting it into an annealer where the vase is slowly and carefully cooled over about 24 hours. If it is cooled too quickly or too slowly the glass can become brittle or crack. The annealing process gives the
vases their strength. After the vases are cooled they are carved or ground with a variety of sizes and shapes of grinding wheels. This step gives the pieces their unique surface texture.

The very last step is for the artist to use a small Dremel tool and to sign and date the bottom of the pieces. He also writes “Murano” and 1/1 to signify they are completely unique.

Art glass from Murano does not tarnish, patina or fade. A cared for piece will retain its beauty forever.