St Peter’s Hospice, 1981, Albany, New York, and Fall River Jewish Home for the Aged, 1982, were two windows that I did with the majority of fused glass. Jewish Home for the Aged, 1982, 56” x 36”, fused and laminated glass, stained glass, wood frame by Bernie Fierro.

With the coming out of the documentary “Holy Frit”, about the world’s largest stained glass window, statements were made that fused glass was invented by Narcissus Quagliata, a stained glass artist. He had been asked by Bullseye Glass to work with them in 1993 to make innovations: make glass tested compatible, crushing glass (frit) to make available to the public. No commercial glass was tested compatible at this time.

I want to state that I started experimenting with fused glass in 1977, making fused glass tiles that I broke up to do my glass on glass mosaics. I then went on to make fused glass windows in 1981-1983 that were fully fused glass. I learned how to weld and welded a steel bucket that I still use to this day with a sledge hammer and various screens to sift and sort various grades of glass. I used GNA by Desag SHOTT glass, a German company that stopped making their Artista line in the recession of 2010. At first, it was very difficult to know what was compatible and I had many struggles. No glass was tested compatible by a manufacturer until Bullseye Glass did it. I then started using Bullseye Glass in 2012, and it is wonderful to know that everything is tested compatible. They are a fantastic company that really helped market fused glass to the world.

I was asked many time whether I made up the technique, and I always answered that fused glass started in Egyptian times and that I was just doing my own thing. I can only say that I was making fully fused glass windows by 1981 and fused glass elements in 1977. Whether I was a forerunner, I leave to history.