Thursday, July 23, 2009

Dig Two...

My second dig for re-posting involves working with an artist from Rapid City, Betty is all I remember for her name. She was building the windows for the church in Chamberlain SD and I was commissioned to paint the Saints portraits onto glass.

Beginning with a charcoal sketch I make the size portrait I need to fit the blank template I was given from Betty, that should fit in place into her window panel when I am done.
Once I have the sketches approved I cut the glass blank and begin my series of stains and firings in the kiln.
Each application of stain is a mixture of ground glass, flux, minerals and ores that produce the pigment, a binding agent mixed to a consistency that is spreadable with a brush, applied to the substrate and fired in the kiln to 1300 degrees F. You can tell when the firing is complete when the "paint" melts into the glass by it glossing.

Here Saint James has all his firing done in stains for his portrait we have to add enamels one of the predominant features that can't be ignored is his red cloak. Stain isn't fired in red so I have to move into the enamel field


Same process affords the above finished piece. Red is a really tricky color to achieve...I ended up applying this mineral 4 times...1 second too long it will evaporate...timing is everything when messing with enamels.



Saint Anthony didn't require any enamels. They wanted him to keep his minimal appeal as a monk, so he is all stains.
Thank you for joining me again in Seth's Part Two of digging for treasure. I have enjoyed meeting a lot of the artsits off his list...and if you are new to the game...go visit Seth and run through the list..you will not be disappointed!
Enjoy your bloghopping...get ready with a beverage and a good seat!


38 comments:

Unknown said...

Very cool!

Unknown said...

Wow! This work is very beautiful & impressive. So glad you shared it!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing and being a part of Seth's Buried Treasures!

Kelly Jeanette Swift said...

I'm always amazed by artists who work in glass. It's looks so involved and must take alot of patience. Something I do not have an abundance of.

rivergardenstudio said...

Wow, I love these sketches of the saints, and how they look as the final product on glass. Thanks for sharing these, and for visiting my blog! Roxanne

Joanna Olson said...

What a sense of accomplishment! Amazing work.
Thanks for sharing and thank you for the comments on my blog.

Kim Palmer said...

Wow mar, niiiice! LOL! Great post showing the sketches and then the finished items. They look wonderful! Two quite different pieces in technique but both fabulous. Thanks for posting, and thanks also for popping in to my blog again. Good to hear from you.

Anne said...

Hi, Mar! What an interesting post! I never really understood the difference between glass stains and enamels before, but now I do! Unbelievably great portraits of St. Anthony and Saint James! :-)

Jess said...

these are incredible!! The whole process seems complex, can't wait to see the finished product!! Keep up the great work!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

Truly AMAZING!! You are talented beyond belief. I hadn't seen this post, so I'm so glad you dug for it.

notmassproduced said...

very clever :o)

femminismo said...

Wonderful start with the charcoal. Then on to the kiln work. Exceptional! Thanks for reposting this. You do wonderful work! - Jeanne in Oregon

A tired retired recluse @ Swallowcliffs.blogspot.com/ said...

Glass work is hard! I avoid it. Glad someone does it!

Curio said...

Very, very interesting process. I will come back soon and dig through your blog for other buried treasure...Hope you won't mind?

Linda Vincent said...

I'm so glad you repeated this post for those of us who hadn't had the pleasure of seeing it before.
What a talent you have...creating such fantastic pieces of art.
Linda x
PS Loved all the comments in one go, thank you, lol!!

MrCachet said...

I'm glad you joined Round Two cuz now I'm following!

3rdEyeMuse said...

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this - thank you for digging deeper and sharing this post ... I especially like how Saint Anthony turned out. :)

Lori Saul said...

Spectacular work- I so love reading about your process and seeing the beautiful results!!

Dianne said...

Amazing work on glass! they turned out beautifully!
Dianne

Mary said...

Oh wow, these are amazing!!

Debrina said...

Hello - thanks for stopping on by! And looky here, some beautiful art and glass work from you. Beautiful stuff! Are you also participating in the DisCo project?

ArtPropelled said...

Such an interesting process! Saint Anthony is outstanding.

Anonymous said...

So there are two processes? Staining and enameling? Are they both similar to enameling on metals? I had an idea about how glass paintings were done but always wondered. Your drawings are amazing and, I'm sure, are a beautiful addition to the building they will grace.

Karen said...

These are gorgeous! I am amazed at the amount of shading that shows. Really beautiful, Mary! :>

Lynn Cohen said...

Thank you for coming to my blog today.

Your stained glass and sketches are incrediable. Stunning work!

My husband lived in Rapid City at age seven for a couple of years and we visit it and his old houses and school once a year at least!
He loves it there.

Unknown said...

Really incredible work, thank you for digging this up!

Jill Zaheer said...

What a beautiful post- and I'm so amazed at the process that you describe. So interesting and had no idea how it's done. Your work is stunning. Can't get over all of the subtle shades that you're able to create. Thanks so much for visiting my disco post with your generous comments! So glad to visit your blog!

TBM said...

Wow, your glass is stunning! Thanks for giving us a peek into your process. My favourite kind of post ;-) Cheers from Holland (Where I Talk About Art)

Mescrap said...

Whoa !!! THe process seem too complicated for me.
You really did a very good job !

Sharon Tomlinson said...

Beautiful. I have always wondered how this was done. The process is amazing. But I think the sketches must be the key. They are beautiful.

Thanks for your well wishes, I'm on teh mend.

Unknown said...

Stellar!!!

donna said...

Fantastic work! I didn't know I could do such a thing. Thanks for showing and telling. I just gotta try this! I am sure to make a mess ;).

TonyaA said...

Wow! This looks so cool. I bet it takes a lot of time to do one of these.

Linda said...

Wow color me impressed...or would I be enameled? :) These are beautiful.

Bead Up said...

awesome :)

Seth said...

These are quite amazing. Thanks for reposting and sharing your process!!

Cath Wilson said...

Oh wow!! That is just so amazing and you really are gifted. Lovely to read how you did it and all that went into it.

~*~Patty S said...

I have been seeing you around blogland and just had to come for a visit, so glad I did! Wonderful creations, so glad I got to see them!
I am having a great time exploring your art blog!