Got Glass?

Got Glass?

 

Yep ~ !

 

I've got almost 700 pounds of glass.

66 sheets of tetka.

 54 pounds of power & frit

& a bunch of misc "stuff" like stringer, confetti, & tip sheets.

 

 

Thanks Bullseye Glass Co!

 

This is a short post ~ I've got work to do!!

Peter McGrain ~ Glass Artist & Accordion Player

One of the classes I participated in while at the

Glass Expo was a glass painting class with Peter McGrain.

This is technique is described as

Vitri-fus'alle: a word made-up by Peter.

This technique incorporates fusing with traditional

glass painting used to embellish stained glass.

Think of the beautiful stained glass in European churches

and that's the influence & look created...with a modern twist!

(here are Peter's hands working on the light table.  I have more

pictures of him but he didn't answer my email for permission

to show them here so it's only his hands for now....)

Traditional glass painting uses the methods of

tracing and matting.  These are layers upon layers of

painted tints that are built up & then removed to create the

shading & highlights in the figures.

Here's my humble study via Peter McGrain.

Peter recommends using System 96 glass ~

I've been considering switching over to 96 vs 90 due to a variety

of issues so maybe this will clinch my decision.

I'm excited to play with this technique & see

where it goes.  Have lots of ideas rumbling around in my head.

Thanks Peter for an inspiring & fun class!

During the class I also found out that Peter is an accordion player!
I knew I liked him!

1st Grade Fused Glass Project ~

My son, William, is in 1st grade.

He loves to help in the studio & create his own glass pieces.

He's pretty handy around the studio & often helps me with my production work.

He loves his classmates & teacher so we thought we might like to share a

glass project with the class.  We decided to ask his teacher if she'd consider

 having the kids help create a fused glass platter as a

gift donation to the Anchorage Museum for the 2012 Gala ~ & she said "Yes!"

I pre-cut opal glass, primary colors, in basic shapes.

Each child received a 3 X 3 inch clear blank &

then had free rein to layer, sort, line-up, & create a pattern of their own design.

We discussed safety ~ thus the goggles ~ even though they weren't really needed
it's good to get used to wearing them ~ practice safety!

And the use of tools; safety, how to handle, clean & put away. 

In the studio, this is a must! 

Tools must be put back after use or there

becomes so much disarray that they can't be found & time is lost!

It makes me a little crazy...organized chaos is fine as long as I can find my tools.

And tweezers!  Kids (of all ages) LOVE tools!

I brought big & little tweezers, for picking glass up, & it was a big hit.

Again, not really necessary but the kids love to handle tools like this &

it's fun for me to see how they do ~ it varies quite a bit student to student.

 

As the kids completed their 3X3" squares I placed them in divided boxes

and labeled each square with their name.  Each child also completed a small magnet

& these were also placed in the same labeled space.

Here's a quick shot of the pieces as they were put together by the kids. 

After all the 3X3's & magnets were completed I transported them

back to the studio firing in the kiln.

I created a grid that was drawn on fiber paper so I could lay out the

3X3's & also make a map to keep track of each child's piece.

The grid is filling up....

Almost filled in with a balance of lots of color & some pieces with more "space."

White space is good ~ a little resting spot for the eye.

This helps to create balance in the overall design too.

Here's the glass blank pre-firing.

I decided to fire this at about 1419...below a full fuse

to get a little texture but still allow it to be used as a platter.

There was quite a bit of glass left over so I decided to make a

small platter for William's teacher as a thank you.

She's been a great teacher & open doing new things with the kids.

The kids love her!  Thanks Ms. G~!

Each child also made a magnet ~

I think it's important that they have something to take home to show

their family & have a memory of the process.

A little pocket piece.

Here's the piece post firing.

William got busy making a chart & placing the magnets on a display board.

A fun way for all the kids to look at every one's work.

And another helper peeking around Will....

Thanks Will!  Good job.

Here's the finished platter!

Size:  15" X 15"

Title:  Primary Colors

Thank You First Graders ~ you're amazing!

Now for the "Artist Reception" at school!

Aurora....Over Salmon!

So...

Onward....

 with the Aurora Series.

Here's the salmon samples I'm working on for my reps.

 Each is an original.

Different colors & types of glass.

This is a salmon in the round & available

in both a 7.5" size or a 12" size.

We like to use the 7.5" size for desserts or a

ball of salmon pate'. 

Yumm!

Shopping for salmon fishing charters today!