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Keith Cummings has made significant contributions to British kiln-cast glass. With over sixty years of research and educational contributions, he established a complete education system for kiln-cast glass in the UK, ensuring the sustainable development of British glass art education. He generously shared his research findings with the world, and his book "Techniques of Glassforming" is revered as the glass bible, causing a global resonance.
As he said, "Before 1970, it was impossible to create with kiln-cast glass. After 1980, there was a standard process." This standard process was something he spent his entire life researching and perfecting, which is why he is known as the father of British kiln-cast glass. Even Princess Anne of the British royal family collects his works, and he has been inducted into the UK Hall of Fame. This is an extremely fair and just organization, where only those who have made significant contributions and have influence in the UK can be inducted, such as Stephen Hawking in the field of physics. Currently, Keith Cummings is the only glass artist in that hall.
British glass art has seen a leapfrog and diverse development due to Keith Cummings' introduction of kilns and the reform of kiln-forming techniques. The flourishing of various techniques such as kiln-casting, blowing, hot melting, glass rod working, and pressing has freed artists from the limitations of craftsmanship. Glass has begun to transcend the material itself, incorporating the emotions and consciousness of the artist, allowing the transformation of techniques to redefine new glass art and establishing the significant position of British glass art today.
In Cummings' creations, he not only combines multiple materials such as glass, copper, brass, and tin but also integrates various kiln-cast glass techniques: slump casting, casting, cutting, grinding, and polishing. His profound skills in watercolor painting, developed over the years, are also evident, with an extremely precise control of color and form. This makes the originally flat paintings seem to swim in three-dimensional, transparent glass, becoming a new spatial perspective and vitality.