Glassart — FLOW-cut and individually designed

(Virgin Islands, USA) Art and technology – a contradiction? Not necessarily. Together with her husband Steffen Larson, Jan Mitchell runs the Jan Mitchell Studios in St. Croix, Virgin Islands, USA. Along with sculpture, for a number of years she has been into glass art, too. She cuts the filigree patterns and decorations on a FLOW waterjet cutting system.

“In the beginning I cut the ornaments by hand, which is very time-consuming. With the FLOW waterjet cutting machine I can cut a huge range of contours and patterns much more quickly,” reports Jan Mitchell.

The new technique made its appearance in the studio in 1996. Initially it was planned to purchase a laser. But when Jan Mitchell became acquainted with the waterjet technique at a trade fair and saw in a demonstration just how universally employable this tool is, she changed her plan. “I found out that lasers can’t do everything,” S. Larson tells us. “Jan works a lot with glass, and glass can’t be worked with a laser.”

The FLOW IFB 1005 machine today is the heart of the craftwork enterprise. Business is booming and the machine runs nonstop. Meanwhile, the studio also does contract work cutting all kinds of materials – stainless steel, or bronze, or even brass letters for gravestones. “There are so many jobs I can only do with the waterjet system,” says Jan Mitchell. “We’re very satisfied with this technology and what it can do for us.”

FURTHER News

The works of J. Mitchell can be admired in many museums, including the International Art Glass Invitational in St. Louis.