Ely Helalian
Few people can attribute receiving a gift with influencing their career path, but for Ely (pronounced Ellie) Helalian, an Azerbaijan glass vase from a friend set the course for a new occupation. Already a successful clothing and jewelry designer at the time that she received the vase, Helalian was so inspired by the gift’s beauty that she instantly knew she had found her calling.
What intrigued her was the unusual technique utilized in producing the glass. She researched the methods and learned that the intricate process originated in Azerbaijan, a now-independent nation situated on the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and north of Iran (once part of Russia). Azerbaijan glass art is defined by its clear, vibrant colors achieved through a four-layer process.
Wanting to try the technique herself, Helalian took classes specializing in the craft. Within six years of receiving that now-famous vase, the former jewelry and apparel designer focused her creativity on perfecting rich swirls and deep hues in glass utilizing glass-blowing techniques that have been handed down from one generation to the next over thousands of years.
Today, she is the driving force behind Ely’s Glass Art, the Houston-based design studio that she heads. Helalian credits her art’s color and clarity to the distinct, four layers (three layers of colored glass, plus a clear top layer) employed in making each piece. “The unique thing is that it is four layers of glass,” she explains. “The middle layer-the milky white glass-supports the colors and makes them so bright.”
Although the company is based in Houston, where Helalian and her husband, Matt, now live after emigrating from Iran in 1975, the glass is made in the region where it originated. Each of Helalian’s designs is brought to fruition by a team of glassblowers and artists in Azerbaijan. “The artists are using very basic equipment, but the process is quite complicated. Unbelievably, the multicolored designs are not painted, but the result of three separate applications of glass colors. Two glass blowers are required to create each piece. One to blow the glass, which is first heated on a metal rod in a furnace to about 2200F and the second to pour each layer of liquefied, colored glass onto the previous layer, then shape the piece and swirl the colors.
The first layer of color is blown, and becomes the interior color of the vessel. The second layer is the milky white glass, which is poured directly onto the first layer, as the glass blower turns the rod and uses tools (made of wood) to flatten out the molten glass and give it the desired shape. The white color prevents the glass from being transparent and helps make the other colors brighter. The third layer is then introduced for additional color and to serve as the outer layer. In between layers, the second artist can swirl them together to create flames, bands, or other effects. Each tone affects the subsequent colors, according to Halalian. For example, if yellow is in the first layer (which becomes the interior) and red for the third layer (the outermost layer), the overall result will be a yellow orange hue. Bright strips of yellow can be seen on the exterior as the artist swirls the colors. Clear glass is the final step, which seals in the design. While a piece may only take 10 minutes to complete, it must be quickly transferred to a lehr or annealing oven, where it cools down for approximately three days. When it exits it is glossy if matte finish is desired it will be sandblasted or given an acid wash.