Savoy Studios: Techniques

Techniques employed at Savoy Studios

Every handcrafted object starts with an idea, a vision. The idea becomes a verbal description that progresses to a drawing, and eventually the creative process continues to fabrication.

Savoy Studios has several in-house designers who, along with other associated artists, create the artwork from which all of our glass is fabricated. Working with architects, interior designers and clients we are able to achieve the effects that are desired for a particular space.

At Savoy, we have always stressed great design in the objects we handcraft. From our nationally recognized design department to the craftspeople who fabricate the piece, artistic direction is constant throughout the project to ensure the highest quality. We have several fabrication departments within the studio, each creating different types of art glass; etched, stained, dichroic, beveled, blown and kiln cast. We also have a Special Projects department which handles fused and laminated glass, along with lighting and sculpture.

Blown Glass

Bryan Rubino began blowing glass in January of 1982 for a small Seattle glass company. In 1984 he was introduced to the Venetian style of glass blowing. Bryan began working with other young glass blowers that had also been inspired by the style. In 1987, he received a scholarship to attend a class at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Washington. The class, which combined technique and design also focused on the Venetian style of glass blowing.

After Pilchuck, Bryan was asked to work as the Master Craftsmen in residence at the school, continuing to do so one or two sessions a year from 1988 through 1992 working with Artists from the United States and abroad.

In the years from 1988 through 2003, Bryan worked frequently with Dale Chihuly and his designers on a number of large projects. In 2001 Bryan relocated to Olympia and started his own Glass Studio. In 2009 he again relocated to Portland, OR to begin working within the Savoy Studios facilities.

Lighting

Savoy Studios is a world leader in design and fabrication for the hospitality industry with forty years of experience and clients throughout the world. Our skilled craftsman, dedicated project managers, versatile design staff, our fabrication partners world-wide, as well as the many allied technical support companies we work with, together form an unbeatable team.

We are comfortable designing to international standards and local specifics such as voltage, lamp selection, ballast and transformer engineering. No matter where in the world you are working, we can help finish your design on time and in budget.

Savoy specializes in both custom one of a kind large scale lighting features as well as comprehensive lighting packages for projects of any size. Over the years, Savoy Studios has worked with many international and celebrity clients, combining an unsurpassed level of service with the discretion they require.

Fusing and Special Projects department

The Special Projects Department handles all the projects that don't fit into the other departments. From sculptures to awards to fused glass, this department sees some of the most interesting commissions our clients can dream up. Located upstairs in the studio, this area consists of layout tables and three large kilns. Lining the room are glass racks, cabinets and shelves with everything needed to do the impossible. In addition to these three kilns is a large kiln downstairs that can hold a sheet of glass five feet wide by 12 feet long. Sophisticated computer controls on the kiln allow for the storage of all firing schedules and tracking of all data that relates to a particular project.

Many of the amazing commissions from this department are featured in the Furniture and Accessories section under Portfolio. This department is also responsible for most of the lighting projects that come through the studio.

Stained Glass and Water Jet department

This is where most of the colored art glass windows are fabricated. The projects vary in size, style and complexity, ranging from small lamps to 6000 square foot glass ceilings. The room is set up for production of stained glass windows. Six tilt-top tables (for turning windows over) line the room, pointing the way to the best glass cutter a glass artist can have. It’s not steel, or even diamond-tipped – it’s a WaterJet.

Savoy Studios pioneered the use of a WaterJet in a commercial art glass studio when a machine was purchased in 1995. No longer are we confined by the limitations of the glass cutters of the past. Savoy is cutting and carving glass at the leading edge of technology and the material’s possibilities. With computer-controlled cutting of designs, programs can be saved and recalled should any repairs be needed on a damaged piece—saving time for our customers. Fabrication time is shortened on large projects, as the craftspeople concentrate on the building of the panels as the WaterJet is cutting just ahead of them.

Etched Glass department

Savoy Studios offers a nearly infinite range of etching techniques and options. Our huge blasting room allows us to work on very large pieces of glass, utilizing a 12’ by 12’ air table, a hoist for lifting glass and several rolling easels.

Our etchers are experts in the art of carving glass. We are renowned for our realistic figures and wildlife, but we can also carve fantastic modern and abstract art glass.

Full-color translucent paints can be applied to etched and carved surfaces. Paint filling gives carved glass enhanced dimensional quality and gives etched glass slightly more translucency. We also offer metallic paint filling with optional patinas. Metal leafing, in a range from 24-carat gold to platinum to colorful Japanese foil, is incorporated into much of our work.