Glass resources update
January 7, 2012
Hey, folks;
I’m in the process of updating my enormous casting resources page and I need your help.
I’m adding new categories such as adhesives & sealants, coldworking and casting instruction (and I mean REAL, intensive glass casting classes). I’m also checking old listings and making sure they work.
Locasnob
December 5, 2011
Strolling the Pearl (a favorite occupation I hardly ever get to do these days), I spied a big cast glass sculpture in the window and stopped in to see who made it.
“He’s from Israel, really talented artist,” said the clerk.
“Ahh…and that one?” I pointed to a big blown dinosaur-like piece, reminiscent of Tagliapietra.
“Celotto, from Italy.”
Hmmm. “How about that one?” and I indicated a series of flat, fused (ooops, sorry, Lani) kilnformed panels on the usual powder-coated steel stands.
Swedish.
Favorable (glass) reactions
November 22, 2011
If you mix frit colors–as all pate de verre and frit painting artists do with abandon–you quickly learn about reactivity between colored glasses. Try warming up chill BE Salmon Pink with a little BE Medium Amber, and the resulting sludgy grey-brown will stick in your mind forever.
Or so I thought. At a beginning casting workshop recently, one of my students complained that it was tough to simply remember what reacted with which. Or worse, when they combined glasses from two manufacturers, they couldn’t find any reactivity info at all, which apparently resulted in some unpleasant surprises.
I gave them some rules of thumb I go by when I don’t have access to a reactivity chart and/or have no time to check. [Read more]
Pate de verre in a hurry, Part I
October 29, 2011
How do you give non-casters a taste of pate de verre-making..in less than four hours?
That was the assignment, anyway. It was the Portland chapter’s turn to host the Oregon Glass Guild’s annual state meeting, and we wanted to do something a bit special.
We decided on a theme of Stretch Your Wings, and gave it multiple meanings. First, we meant “stretch your wings by reaching out to the community.” Instead of focusing on personal enrichment, this time we’d make art for the community, a glass quilt to be installed in a local hospital. Everyone who came would make at least one 6×6 inch tile for the quilt.
Bullseye’s moving the furniture…
October 21, 2011
…and consequently I have no idea where to sit.
To put it more understandably, Bullseye just unleashed a new website design on the world and in the process broke a whole boatload of links to really important content. Bullseye’s technical documents are pretty much without peer in the art glass industry; I link to them a LOT.
So now a whole boatload of links on MY website are now busted. I am an unhappy camper.
I’m assured that Bullseye technical wizards are working their fingers off to speedily fix those broken links. Until they do, if you click a link on my site and it breaks on bullseyeglass.com, your best bet is to type whatever you’re looking for into the Bullseye search box.
Sorry about that.
And would somebody PLEASE tell me where the reactivity charts live?
Sigh..
Bullseye on iPad
September 29, 2011
So here’s one more reason to buy an iPad (as if I needed one): Bullseye‘s just released a very cool little IOS app for glassists, and it works on iPhone, iPod Touch and…(drumroll)…iPad. And it’s free.
It’s a collection of Bullseye tools and educational documents, pretty much what you find on Bullseye’s website, including tipsheets and technical notes. There’s a Fahrenheit/Celsius converter in there, weblinks to the Bullseye Gallery, their online store and other parts of the website, and a browse-able version of the latest Bullseye catalog.
Headed for the Pearl
August 29, 2011
“I’d much rather have you in the booth, instead of helping with setup,” she said, and I felt a mild tingle of pride.
“I suppose,” I said modestly, “You want your best people people out front, interacting with the public.”
“No, it’s just that schlepping pedestals isn’t exactly your strong suite,” she replied, “I saw you working setup last time.”
That’s what I love about New Yorkers: You never have to wonder what they’re thinking.
Keryn Whitney and glass inspiration
August 11, 2011
Got the sweetest email the other day, right on the heels of my, er, terms & conditions for the use of this blog. Don’t know if one had anything to do with the other, but it sure tickled me to read this:
Hi Cynthia
I just wanted to send you a quick thanks for imparting your wonderful
knowledge on the use of super glue with fusing. I had been working on a
design in my head for a while and just couldn’t work out how to translate it
into actual glass. I was able to take your tips and twist them a bit to suit
my needs. I have taken the liberty of attaching a couple of photos of the
end result. I submitted it to the “Ranamok” glass competition in Australia
and was selected. And while I don’t expect to win anything, there is
certainly no other glass quite like mine. The piece entitled “destruct ;
construct” was made using blown shards, that were lampworked, introducing a
secondary colour to them, and then kiln fused (using the super glue to
construct and hold in place before going into the kiln). While I’m not
completely happy with it - I think the piece is a good starting point for
further development of the idea.(some stuff deleted for brevity’s sake)
Once again thank you so much for your generous advice and please keep up the
great work with your blog – it’s one of the highlights of my day.
Cheers & regards
keryn
Cool, eh? And yup, she’s definitely a 2011 Ranamok finalist–go see who she’s competing against. Here’s what she submitted:
So how cool is that? (and yes, I did ask Keryn for permission to publish this and she said yes) Here’s a detail:
Complicated process; I can see how the superglue would help. And her idea (correction: her BRILLIANT idea) has now given me more ideas. I’m thinking about how to use superglue to solve a float glass casting problem I’m muddling through in my head. I’ll test it this weekend, and then we’ll see.
But isn’t that what artists sharing is really all about? IOW:
- You pass a technique to me, through a class, lecture, demonstration, exhibit, etc. I’m inspired all to heck.
- I play with your technique, put my own twists on it, and come up with something different. Then I blog about it, demonstrate it, write about it online somewhere.
- Somebody else sees it, adds THEIR brainview and sooner or later shows me the result…
- …and I get all inspired to heck. Again.
The sharing/brainstorming/collaborating/stealing with pride/whatever has just enabled me to do something better than I’d probably make on my own. Or as Keryn says:
I figure any “glassie” worth their salt will work out how I did it anyway – perhaps not the superglue trick (unless you’re a “fuser”) but what the hay – that’s how we all learn, when one person has an idea and they freely pass it into other people.
Anyway, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Keryn with the Ranamok. And thanks, Keryn!
Form of flattery
July 27, 2011
Woke in the wee hours Monday night to thunder rumbles and flashes of day-bright light. PDX weathermen had predicted fair weather, so naturally glassland was having one of its rare thunderstorms.
I snuggled down into the covers and purred, listening to rain drumming on the skylight. No way was I sleeping through this, so I after awhile I pulled out Izzy the ‘Pad and started figuring out how to respond to a bunch of emails I’ve been saving. Finally decided the best way was to simply talk about them here.
The first three are pretty direct (I’m paraphrasing only slightly, mostly to avoid embarrassing anyone):
Cynthia, I really like your XXXX project and have decided to produce them for our upcoming craft fair. I think I will be able to sell a bunch, they are so pretty. However, I have only recently begun fusing glass so the instructions in your blog are too hard. Please send me a full list of materials (glass colors, molds, etc.) as well as full-sized templates for each cut piece. I do not have a glass saw so please make sure I can cut the glass with my glass cutter. I will also need your firing schedules and any additional instructions or pictures you have so I can see how the back looks. The craft fair is in three weeks, so I will need this as soon as possible. Your prompt attention is advised and my address is below.
I am a fine arts student who really much admires your glass portraits. Your old woman sculpture is exactly what I need for a project this semester, she is so fierce. I do not have enough money to make my own silicone molds so would it be possible to send me your old woman mold? I promise to return it when I am done. You could be the reason I get a A!
I have decided to start a website about glass and will be using articles from your blog. However, your photos are too small and I tried enlarging them but they don’t look good. Would you please send me bigger pictures of the following articles?
The fourth was more subtle, from someone I’ve never apparently met (also paraphrasing because it was looong):
Please come to my party!! I’m having a BBQ on Saturday and would love to have you as my guest. I am a novice fused glass artist who attended XXXX and fell in love with your work. I picked up your business card there and I think we should be friends! Please bring a small glass item to donate to help me raise funds for a worthy cause.
And the fifth, which is actually a composite of several emails:
Cynthia, you would be so proud of me! I just got a (great teaching gig) for next summer, using descriptions and photos from your blog. I am basing the whole class on (a glass project in this blog). It would really help me if you could send me your photos and studio notes as there are some parts of this technique that are not quite working for me.
Uhm… maybe I should explain a few things.
Folks, I appreciate the attention and I really enjoy hearing from people about the stuff I post on this blog. (and I’m not kidding). I wouldn’t post glassmaking stuff if it weren’t:
- A good way for me to clarify processes for myself (and keep records)
- A nice way to pay back everyone who has helped me
- Let’s be honest, something of an ego boost
However–trying to be as nice as possible here–I do have some rules about how this works:
Copyright
Everything in this blog *is* copyrighted (that’s what that little footnote at the bottom of each page tells you), which means that while you can quote small excerpts from these blogposts or link to them, you CANNOT reprint, repost or publish my text, pictures, downloads or diagrams without my expressed, written permission.
I’m actually pretty good about giving that permission but you must formally ask, and be willing to provide linkbacks, credit and/or–if you’re planning to make money from this stuff–a cut or a box of raspberries or a map to a gold mine or something.
And yup, I do use online plagiarism finders (and people frequently send “did you know your blog is on —-” notes), so please…ask first and avoid a lot of trouble for both of us.
Technical support and firing schedules
I’m pretty good about answering questions in the comment section of this blog or by private email, and I try to be prompt. However, I’m also lazy, have a dayjob and am only describing what worked for me. While I’m happy to clarify where possible, I can’t customize a project for specific reader requirements.
I do occasionally post my firing schedules…with a LOT of caveats. They’re at best examples, and most likely won’t work in all kilns. If you don’t test them first, before firing some big, expensive project…be prepared for heartache.
Mostly, though, what I’m posting is less recipe book and more starting point for your own explorations. Working through the details and filling in the gaps is the best way to learn, so if you don’t get something, please try it yourself before asking.
Giving out templates, designs, molds, etc.
Never gonna happen unless someday I decide to sell this stuff, which has so far been pretty easy to resist. If I have templates for fusing projects, they were probably traced on newsprint and recycled about 15 minutes after the project became a birthday present.
My silicone mastermolds are, well, sacred, and I don’t share them.
I *am* working on a book about casting methods, but not very hard. Someday, probably when I’m 90, I’ll publish it. I’ve also got a fairly long waiting list to teach, and one of these days–when I find a venue and some time–I actually will. Fill out the contact form if you’re interested, but it’s liable to be awhile.
Donations
As I mentioned awhile back, the first (and last) time I donated my work for charitable purposes it didn’t get a very good reception. I now confine my donations to money or time (or old household stuff), just to play fair.
Advertising and disclosure
Many people have suggested I add advertising to this blog, and in a couple of rather interesting cases I was offered free products in exchange for writing favorably about them. This is pretty common nowadays, but I’m enough of a curmudgeonly old-school journalist that I don’t think much of it and I don’t do it.
Most of the time I buy my own supplies, and if I’m writing about something, I’ve most likely paid for it. In the rare cases that someone is nice enough to give me stuff–which *does* happen–I will mention that I got it for free if/when I write about it (i.e., I try to practice disclosure). More often, I solve the problem by just not writing about it to begin with.
Not being beholden to folks means I can say exactly what I think, and I wouldn’t give that up for the world.
So…hope y’all understand.
Coldworking Glass without Machines (book)
July 7, 2011
Lemme borrow a writer’s proverb for a sec:
I hate coldworking. I love having coldworked. More particularly, I love having coldworked by hand.*
I’ve so far found nothing to match the incredible, silky finish you get with hand-coldworking a piece of glass, so I was really interested in Paul Tarlow’s new book, Coldworking Glass without Machines: A complete guide to creating better fused, lampworked & blown glass artwork without spending a small fortune on big equipment.