They are born of fire and breaths of air.

They are the Curvee award and they will be handed out Tuesday night to the top films competing in Renton FilmFrenzy IV.

The Curvee is elegant in its simplicity. Each weighs about three pounds, about five pounds less than another well-known statue, the Oscar.

They’re made by Uptown Glassworks on Main Avenue at no charge. Owner Paul Sullivan’s shop also does the glass-blown apples handed out to new teachers in the Renton School District.

The Curvee, Sullivan said, has “become the symbol of the FilmFrenzy.”

The curving glass sculpture evokes a piece of Renton’s history, the I-405 S-curves, not to mention the city’s slogan, “Ahead of the Curve.”

Uptown’s gaffers take the lead in creating each Curvee. Because they are handblown, they are not exactly alike.

Tom Anderson is  one of those gaffers who leads the team that creates a glass-blown object. He’s in charge, even to controlling the breaths that his assistant, Weston Spriggs, takes.

Glass-blowing is very much team-oriented, said Anderson, who has been a glass-blower for 29 years.

“We get to know each other’s movements and anticipate what’s needed next,” he said.

A Curvee starts as a bubble at the end of a long hollow blow pipe. “It’s like gathering honey,” Anderson said.

Anderson will turn the pipe to create a shape out of the glass. Sprigg’s breaths expand the glass.

“It’s a soft and steady slow blow,” he said.

At well-learned intervals, Anderson plunges the Curvee into the gas-fired oven and its roughly 2,300 degrees of heat that keeps the Curvee at a working consistency.

The technique is basic, Anderson said.

But, as Spriggs said, “Sometimes you get more with less.”

Each Curvee is sandblasted to give it a frosted look.

Hot glass is poured into a mold to create the Curvee base; its attached with a glue. The longest part of the process is a stay of between 18 and 20 hours that will allow the Curvee to cool slowly. It allowed to cool naturally, the Curvee would likely crack.

A plaque is attached to the base.

FILMFRENZY EVENTS

• FilmFrenzy Screening: 7 p.m. (today) Monday at the Renton Civic Theatre, 507 S. Third St.

• Curvee Awards Gala: 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Renton IKEA Performing Arts Center at Renton High School, 400 S. Second St.  Jim Dever of KING 5 TV is the emcee.

• FilmFrenzy FilmTalk: 7 p.m. Wednesday at three locations:  Renton History Museum, 235 Mill Ave. S., The Berliner Pub, 221 Main Ave. S. and the Whistle Stop Ale House, 809 S. Fourth St.

• People’s Choice Award: Voting begins mid-week at rentonreporter.com