Featured Glass Exhibit at the Gallery

I am the featured artist at Gallery 809 this month and have created an exhibit entitled "Pattern Bars and Bowls".  The exhibit is a study in numerous glass techniques, including pattern bars and slabs, pot melts, mica inclusions, combing, and murini tubes.  The exhibit will run through the month of September with a special glass demonstration on Friday, 9/9 from 5-8 pm.

Fused Glass Realism

I am beginning to make some real progress in fused glass realism.  This is a 9" x 17" panel using vitrigraph glass stinger for the tree branches and cut glass for the wisteria leaves and flowers.  The water was done in blue aventurine and aqua blue irid with the pink crystal opal moon in shadow in white wispy. It was completed in 5 firings at different temps. It is currently on exhibit at the CCAH, Carbondale Third Street Center for the Arts, for the month of June. 

Pique Assiette Antique Washstand

After nearly 2 months of work, I have finally finished the antique washstand.  I completed the fused bowl first and then worked the glass and ceramic design around the basin theme.  It is all that I first imagined when I saw it tucked away in the dusty corner of the antique store.  It does amaze me sometime how our mind's eye can see what can become with a little creativity, hard work and love.

Organic Slump Mold from Creative Paradise

My organic slump mold from Creative Paradise finally arrived and the results are just--WOW!  I knew I had to have it when I saw it in Vegas.  I used bejeweled frit mix, vitigraph stringers, millefiori and iridized frit for the flowers.  This is a donated piece for the local CEC chapter for their spring fundraiser.

Japanese Style Sushi Plate Set

This week I completed a 4 piece place setting of Japanese Sushi dinner plates and rice bowls with matching chopsticks. Each plate is banded in differing warm colors and all included a cyan/red dichroic swirl.  These were done using Sys96 glass and Slumpy's Jumping Jill splash molds.

Geometric Roll Up Vessels

The roll ups arrived from Washington last week.  This is my favorite.  The piece is a heart-shaped vase consisting of four layer-glass in plum, ivory, yellow and orange opals in various patterns topped with a fluted neck.  Thank you Ryan Staub Glass (http://www.ryanstaub.com) for producing the wonderful and graceful shape.

Memories of Briarcliff

 

I always try and keep the good memories about a place with me when I go.  I miss my three deer who would bed down in the zoysia grass under the oak grove, the majestic Texas oak tree with the swing in the front yard and my prolific clematis vines forever weaving through the horse fence along the drive.  I did this triptych to try and capture those images in glass. 

The piece was done through multiple firings, building layers of glass to create depth and dimension.  I assembled over 150 pieces for each of the three panels.  The base layer was create at a full fuse, including the tree, swing, fence and millefiori ground.  I then fired the vines to a tack fuse using stringers made from vitrigraph.  Finally, the flowers, made from cut glass, powder and stringers, were added to the vines and re-fused to a contour fuse to create the soft rounded edges. Here's to the celebration of spring!

This piece has been entered into the Glass Art Festival at Delphi Glass at http://www.delphiglass.com/gallery/store_viewItem?gid=11720.  It also hangs in the Gallery 809 in Glenwood Springs, CO.

Red Opal Glass with Photo Paper and Frit Poppies

I love working with photo fusing paper.  I used photo fusing paper to build the backdrop for the frit painting.  After 4 firings, it came out really well.  I love the texture of the frit when it is taken to a tack/contour fuse before slumping.  

Mountains and String Glass

 

I added a twist to an old favorite--string glass made from the vitrigraph kiln.  I added it to the clear space to mimic a textured matting around the painted glass.

Royal Glass and Dichroic Accents

I am liking the new Royal Glass that Delphi Glass has come out with.  I backed it with black wispy so that light still passes through, then capped the center with opaque black with dichro squares. 

Combed Glass in White Wispy and Millefiori

I finally incorporated the combed glass from the workshop into a shallow bowl.  I used 2 layers of white wispy glass perpendicular to each other topped woth a clear cap.  I then added lafayette mix 96 millefiori glass as a border.  It is slightly slumped as to not detract from the combed glass.

Working with Other Techniques

Another fused paper, frit casting with geneva stripes.  This time I used a converted photo (into a line drawing) of purple columbine as my subject.

Red-tailed Hawk Fused

It came out so much better than I had hoped.  Like other artists, I constantly struggle to appreciate my own work, always finding the flaws and little things that didn't turn out exactly as planned.  This piece, however, is as close to "YES" as it gets.  The layering, the texture, and color all look right.   Now to fire polish and slump.  YES!

Copper Embellished Glass Framed in Black Stripes

I made time to do a piece using copper mica painted glass.  I used a thin black base topped with the copper glass.  I then alternated black and clear strips in two perpendicular layers to create a 3D appearance.  I hope to do more experimenting with micas because of love the rich and elegant look.  (Tough to photograph though!)

Iridized Gold on Black with Dicro Accents

I love this gold-tinted iridized black glass.  Blends wonderfully with dichroic on black accents and yellow strips.

Fusing Stacked Mosaics--The Hawk

Red-Tailed Hawk Fused Mosaic Panel

Normally I would not show a piece as it was being built but this has been such an interesting WIP that I thought I would post a before and after.  I have been building the piece for 3 days now and have only to fill the gaps with frit before I fire it.  It is a stacked mosaic, consisting of two base layers of sky blue and clear with two to three layers stacked to define the bird and tree.  I have also used rods cut on end for the leaves with bits and stingers to define the aspen tree. 

I will post the fused panel in a couple of days to show the result.

Farmhouse in the Sunflowers

I completed this commission piece Christmas Eve.  It is hand painted and fused on two separate pieces of glass so that the sunflowers appear to stand in the foreground of the picture.  The technique rendered a 3D dimensional effect.

Triptych and Roll Up Vase

These two pieces are from the Patty Gray workshop.  I had the triptych framed in black as three panels.  The roll up vase stands 7" tall in a gentle heart-shaped form.

Photo Fuse Paper with Glass Frit

I wanted to share a certain glass coloring technique that I am working to perfect. It involves "burnishing" a photo onto the glass using photo fusing paper (requires a specific printer and iron-based toner) and then coming back with glass frit and painting on the photo to add color and dimension. I first full fused the piece at 1450. Using the photo fusing paper guidelines, I fused the photo on the "window" at 1300.  I then added fine and medium frit to the photo using the colors taken from the original photo, applied hairspray to keep it in place, and refused at 1350.  This retained the grain to give it a dimensional quality. Pleased with the results...

Midland Arts Company

A photo of my work on display at the Midland Arts Company in Rifle, CO.  Join the Midland Arts Company for their Christmas Open House On December 3rd from 6 pm to 9pm.  Visit their facebook page for more information.