Freshly baked glass

It's feels like the kiln has been going non stop for days and these are the latest fused glass brooches to come out of it. I'm fully embracing the vintage style that is popular at the moment. The brooches only started out as testers for the cake stands I've made, however as they've been so popular I've made lots more and this time I've done some earring and pendant sets too.

Right now the kiln is on again with cake stands slumping into their molds. I'll take some pictures and show you these tomorrow before I take them to Handmade High St in colchester.

Cast Glass sculptures

This is a project I started weeks ago only to, frustratingly, run out of plaster in order to finish it...don't you hate it when that kind of thing happens? You are on a roll and then BAM! you run out of the essential material you need.

So my plan for this years Maldon Arts Trail is to create a body of seaside themed work in a range of glass techniques. I have already made a copper foiled piece of 2 sailing boats and another copper foiled piece that includes seashell printed sections. To go with these I am making miniature glass sculptures using glass casting techniques and this is what I started and was then forced to stop.

Last week my order of plaster arrived and since then I've been waiting for a rain free day where I could get out into the garden and make my moulds. I prefer to do them in the garden as I can make as much mess as I like and not have to spend ages clearing it all away....especially with all this rain we are getting which has its advantages for washing mess away.

With the models laid out in the tubs I quickly mixed the plaster, and seriously depleted my stock of it in 1 foul swoop. I carefully poured the plaster into the tubs and then spent a while knocking and shaking them to remove as many air bubbles as possible. Then comes waiting for it to set which takes about 30mins before you can take it out of the tub. The fiddly bit it removing the model but this is what you are left with....a mould all ready to dry out, have glass put into it and then go into the kiln. I'll leave that til next week though so that the moulds are properly dried out.

The reveal...

So here it is....the image that is hidden in the glass picture in the previous post.

I'm not sure what I'll do with it from here but that doesn't matter at this stage, it's all about the experimentation :)

Results....

Ok here's a little tease for you all.....

This is fresh out of the kiln this eve but it's a picture in disguise. I'll give you a little clue.... It's a well known person.

Answers on a postcard please.... Or just comment below

All will be revealed tomorrow :)

Will or won't miss, which is which?

At times like this there are many mixed feelings going around in my head about school.
Some things I know I'll miss...my tutor grp, yr10 who were just growing as independent artists and other things that overpower those and I know I am glad to leave behind.

I'll leave you to work out which is which in my photo collage.

Endings and new beginnings

Times are a-changing here at glass HQ and that means sorting, organising, packing, unpacking, decluttering and generally finding space for things I hadn't anticipated having here.

So this wk I ventured into school with a friend and boxed up the majority of my things ( still another car load to go tho I reckon) and as I unloaded it into the kitchen created a small ...ok large amount of chaos. Boxes boxes n more n more stuff.

I asked the question on Facebook of where to put it all and have to say my sis came u with a grt plan.... Put it in the spare bedroom and if it's not been used in a couple of yrs then bin it. I like her thinking :)

So I sat in the kitchen decanting useful folders, filling up the recycling with non useful bits n pieces, putting all my books into the study and then hid the left over boxes in the loft cupboard in the spare bedroom....

Bye-bye school *happy waving goodbye*