Bob Kliss is an artist whose sculptural vessels are distinguished by an innovative, sometimes playful use of color, form, texture and shape. His Shard Vessel series allows him to exercise his life long interest in color vessel is decorated with a one of a kind abstract "shard drawing" composed of glass shards, cane, stringer and murrini that he has made ahead of time. The vessel's form becomes the canvas upon which the shard drawing is displayed.

To prepare the elements for his shard drawings, Kliss blows colored glass spheres in the traditional method. Once cooled, he cuts the spheres into pieces and flattens them in a fusing kiln.

He assembles the colors and shapes that form the base of the drawing, then adds the secondary color elements to complete the design. Once the shard elements are in place, they are fused together in a kiln.

Kliss then blows the vessel, on which the shard drawing is placed after first being heated to 1000 degrees F. He continually reheats and works the vessel until the drawing is melted and fused into place, blowing the vessel to its final shape. He then transfers the vessel to a punty rod and applies a brightly colored “lip wrap” to the rim of the vessel which completes the piece. After cooling, he signs and dates each piece.