Pastorale is the Italian glassblowing term for a large metal tool: it has a long handle, and a flat plate on the end. Canes are placed on the plate, and heated in the gloryhole, in order to fuse them. The fused canes can then be picked up with a gather of glass, and further blown and shaped. It is critical for the technique that the circumference of the gather and the width of the fused canes are identical: a
Pi divider is used to check this.
During the recent International Glass Conference at the Edinburgh College of Arts, organised by Frank Andrews and Shiona Airlie, supported by the helpful people at ECA, Mike Hunter demonstrated the technique when making a small vessel.
The following selection of images will come in parts, as only 4 attachments are allowed per post.