"Each piece is a dialogue between myself and the medium. The conversation is about how simply something can be said; how many marks, what colors, what texture communicates the subject most clearly. How do you capture, translate, and communicate essence?" ~Roger V Thomas

Roger V Thomas began his career in the early 1970s making high quality stained glass. By 1984 he was experimenting with the process of glass fusing, a procedure in which individual pieces of glass are melted together to form larger, designed pieces.

Before finally forsaking stained glass for the new medium, Thomas found himself producing leaded glass panels using fused glass elements described as 'self illuminated paintings of glass.' In "Three Koi" (1987), a work exhibited in the U.S. before being juried into and subsequently sold at the Glass Kanazawa Exhibition in Japan, one can still see the brilliant colors and lead lines of stained glass influence.

In his search for new 'brush strokes,' new ways of putting his mark on the appearance of fused glass, Thomas became adept at using glass and non glass materials, all of which have different chemical properties and melting points. This has earned much admiration from his peers and collectors and the nickname of the "Indiscriminate Fuser" from glass houses. Sometimes Thomas adds small amounts of metals such as copper or gold leaf, or minerals such as mica for special effects, as you can see in "Tidal Account" ( 1991).

Unlike blown glass and more resembling ceramics, Thomas' work is prepared at room temperature and then fired and cooled, untouched, into a single piece of glass, to which additional layers may be added in subsequent firings. In the process of learning to paint with glass Thomas has developed a singular way of working that is based on two traditional glass techniques: pate du verre and mosaic glass.

In pate du verre, wet, finely ground colored powders are packed together in a mold. In mosaic work, glass or ceramic fragments are assembled to create a larger image. Similarly, Thomas creates his "vitreous mosaics" through a technique of arranging various types and forms of glass in layers to achieve a composition on a flat surface.

With his Reverse Layering technique, Thomas must not only be able to envision a finished piece; he must also anticipate its creation — backwards. He works 'face down' beginning with a clear base plate. He then layers glass sheets, crushed or powdered glass, glass strings and shards, working from front to back, from transparent to opaque.

The process is similar to sand painting with the difference that after a few layers the artist can no longer see the pattern he is making. He must rely on tests, experiments, failures and formulae he has developed to create the image he seeks. This is especially crucial in a detailed work such as "Pinus Thunbergii" (1998).

"Water into Sky" (2001) was the first of a pair of studies that explored the possibilities of a new technique using computer cut glass forms, in this case leaves. Although it is technically abstract, it is evocative of the natural forms that permeate and influence Thomas' art. Its luminous depth is enhanced by the use of mica applied to scraps of material floating in the work.

The work is fired in one of three custom-built kilns made of ceramic fiber. A work done using the reverse layering technique may be fired once, but usually several firings are done as the layers are placed. Pieces using the Impressions technique are fired multiple times. The routine working temperature during a firing is 1500F. A computer manages the firing cycle, which can take from 24 to 60 hours, depending on size and thickness of the piece. Thomas often sees his work for the first time when it is removed from the kiln.

Thomas' images range up to 40", the limit of his kiln, and then are presented in diptychs and triptychs to achieve larger compositions. The panels are, on average, one centimeter (approximately 1/2 inch) thick. One can see that these works require special framing.

Original, calligraphic frames, such as that seen here on "Lethocerus" (1997) have long been an intrinsic part of Thomas's work. Constructed of various metals and playful knobs and hardware, they are designed to be an integral part of the work. The enduring quality of these welded, bolted and coated forms provide contrast to the ephemeral qualities of the glass they hold.

In his new Impressions series Thomas has adopted different techniques, changing the progression of some of the layers of a piece and adding the surface texture with the final firing. These impressionistic landscapes are constructed differently and have a heightened translucency caused by reversing some of the layering and the finish. The result gives even more translucency and depth to his work.

Reminiscent of the "full frame" school of photography, the edges of these Impressions works are untrimmed to illustrate the dissolving of image into material that glass is capable of, and to retain the feel of warmth from the kiln. These small landscapes are constructed more as a painter would, from background to subject.You can see the new technique in "The Promise," at left.

The frame for the Impressions is of a new mat style, providing a strong quiet base for the glass to float above. The finish is an elegant black wrinkle powder-coat, both to unify the mechanics of the frame, and to feed Thomas’s nostalgia for the old school laboratory where, like his studio today, most activities tend to be experiments.