Sunday, May 20, 2007

The Creek Runs...

This fused glass platter started as a clear sheet of glass. Most of the colors I use are hand ground glass by me, as glass frit. Sifted to collect particle size as powder and then coarser pieces. A person can purchase ready made frit. I use that as well.
This piece has the frit added until the color saturation was the opacity I was looking for, (achieved with many kiln firings) the blue and yellow, swirled. As the slab developed it was taking on a flow.
We have gone through several years of no flowing creeks where I live, in South Dakota. When we received many inches of rain. The run off has filled the creeks.
The swirling pattern in the slab reminded me of a flowing creek.
To enhance the flow I added powdered frit to give it a little more depth.
The dragonflies wings were stamped using finely ground glass in powder form and mixing a binding agent and fluxes to the powder, creates a stain. To use as paint.
This is fired into the glass and permanent. The bodies are glass frit. Sagged into a mold to get the shaped vessel.

1 comment:

Dianne said...

Hey Mary
That one worked, I love the glass plate beautiful, I LOVE glass work but the only thinkg I cna di is make mosaics with broken stained glass. Making glass is a true art.
Noe for you Walleye is fabulous great work, so it seems you can work in a lot of other mediums..
I've bookmarked you to visit again.
If you go to Trish site
http://www.trishbayley.com/
She has all sorts of info on her site, lots of knowlege to learn there. A section on inks where she explains everthing.. Well have a look around her site, she is also in our group...