Since 1968, Frabel has created some of the most stunning works of crystal and colored-glass art in the Atlanta studio founded by Hans Godo Frabel – one of the very first flame-work glass artists in the world. Traditional glass art, known as furnace glass, is made by taking a small piece of molten glass out of a furnace with a metal blowpipe and working it into shape. Furnace glass allows for the creation of large pieces but it doesn’t offer an intricate level of detail. Hans Godo wanted to utilize the detail capabilities of flame-work – working the glass around an open flame torch – to add a dimension of fine art to the under-appreciated world of glass. His success can be seen not only in the Atlanta studio, but also in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian Institution and Corning Museum of Glass. Created from a specially formulated glass that’s similar to Pyrex, each piece – despite seeming almost ethereally fragile – is deceptively sturdy and can be restored to perfection if ever broken.
Over the years Frabel’s reputation as a master has spread beyond the glass community, helped in no small part by the “Hammer and Nails” sculpture from the New Glass Art Exhibition and his playful, cavorting clowns which were featured in an Absolut Vodka advertising campaign in the late 1980’s. (Frabel, by the way, was the first artist to be honored with the title of Absolut Artist - Warhol and Haring came later.) Looking for a one-of-a-kind souvenir of Hotlanta? The answer is crystal clear.
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