Rick Beck “Small Blue Screw” Glass Fine Art Sculpture, Late 20th Century

A playful cast glass art sculpture titled “Small Blue Screw” by Rick Beck (American, b 1960), part of the artist’s tool series. Beck is a North Carolina based contemporary artist whose work has been exhibited across the USA and worldwide.

Each of Beck’s cast pieces are one of a kind. He begins by making the shape out of clay. Next step is investing it in plaster, then digging out the clay. After editing that by carving and changing the mold, it is put into the annealer. Chunks of glass are put into the mold and heated to 1600 degrees then held there for annealing. The time it takes to come down to room temperature depends on the size of the piece, which can be anywhere from a week to two months. Once the mold is removed from the annealer, the plaster or silica mold is completely broken away and the piece is carved using diamond tools.