Monday, January 25, 2010

Small Snowflake


So far this project really hasn't been too much work. It's one I started years ago and let slide onto the backburner indefinitely. So now that all the pieces had been cut before, all I have to do is grind them. (Mind you that's the part I like the least because it can be the most time consuming depending on how much excess glass you have to contend with.)

Part of what makes a great project great is your glass choice. Even the neatest pattern will not look that good if the glass choice is so so. In this case I used 3 different types of textured glass. One that is iridescent and resembles choppy waves, another that is completely clear but appears to have cracks or dents in it, and finally a highly textured clear glass that make it seem as those large rivulets were carved out of it. And if I do say so myself, I have a fairly good eye for color and texture ;)!

Stained Glass - Arise!

I've been meaning for some time now to work on my stained glass again. In 05 when my mother passed away I "inherited" many of her tools. Some of the things I got, like her electric pottery wheel, I have yet to be able to put to use. However I did have the luck and sense to get enough of her glass tools and supplies to be able to do something with them.

Stained glass has a way about it - glass tends to break along certain plains. Hand cutting curves is generally difficult. Certain cutter styles work for different folks. you should always keep an ample amount of oil in your glass cutter to ensure it works properly. Etc.

As for the making of pieces with this art, it's not really hard. You choose your pattern or design, then glass that suits it or the "look" you're going for. You cut your pieces in the shapes - as close as you can depending on the exact shape of your individual pieces, then grind them down to smooth out the edges. You select a tape size and color that is appropriate for your piece and tape the individual pieces. You put it all together and get solder happy (well not overly so, but you know). Granted I'm not taking you by the hand with the steps but that's pretty much it.

Stained glass is an art that once you understand the concept it really is practiced skill. As you begin to "know" the nature of the work and how it's done you can create beautiful pieces relatively simply and with little or no outside skill. However, as with most things you must practice.

Years upon years ago I took some introductory instruction, but hadn't touched it for awhile. After while I came back to it and worked on it doing three pieces in rather quick succession (a trained eye can quickly see the progression of quality of the art from the first piece to the last one). Now again I have the time and area to work with this beautiful art again and I fully plan on doing so. I'll be slowly but surely chronicling my efforts here for those to see. As with anything posted here, some of this will be sold and some may not. If you find something you really like or think of something you're interested in seeing let me know and we can go from there!

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