lids, stoppers and stalking snails
My glass work is in Angela's hands, and I'm aware, in the lap of the kiln gods. I know this much already, that glass firing success isn't a given.
So, while I nurse my hope, I am progressing with my silver elements for each design. What I think of as ‘my area’. I hope by the end of the year I won't have that mental divide between the glass and metal. Interesting to see how new knowledge will influence my designs.
I enjoy designing and keeping a sketchbook, even ‘illustrating’ my designs just for my own reference. Often a piece will change quite a lot from the drawings through the making process, but for someone who loves to make observational drawings, and detail, I have a strangely terrible visual memory. I think this is one of the reasons I love to get an idea on paper, first in loads of biro filled notebooks, then in sketchbook form, and on to a design drawing, which almost acts as a prompt for my enthusiasm during what can be a long making process.
I crave seeing the always glorious design flash I've had behind my eyes, in the flesh. Does anything ever live up to those perfect ideas? Of course not, but what else would spur you on? My partner mocks my obsession with ‘the next shiny object’ but it's that itch that works for me.
For this current work, my floral glass object was crying out for a solo silver snail, so I hunted the garden until I found one of the right size. The weather is very hot here, unnaturally hot unfortunately, so I justified waking up and photographing my snail with the reward of some nice cool water and a shady spot at the end.
I carve using jeweler's hard wax, usually green. This wax is brittle, but takes detail, and can be polished to a high shine. It can even be lathe turned. I began wax carving over ten years ago. Lost wax casting is an ancient artform that allows me to add fine detail into my work, and carving for larger scale pieces, to be in glass and silver feels like a breath of fresh air, thinking in colour and volume.
My Blossom and Bees bottle has grown in size, with its new, larger glass form. ( see my last post ) It's also changed colour. Bullseye didn't have a blue I was happy with, so it's being cast in Green Tea. Also, because it's bigger, I am making a more blowsy, larger blossom spray topper in silver and carved tagua nut.
The stem is a blackthorn twig I gathered in spring, photographed and drew. As it has dried, it inevitably shrunk a little, so I coated it in wax. I've also taken a risk, and attached my blossom stems ( carved in blue wax ) to the twig. This is risky, because the stem/twig will be a burnout, and if it's unsuccessful, then I've lost hours of work carving these flower stems. I'm very risk averse, so I don't know what possessed me.
The hedgerow pot has a carved wood knot/fence post lid, and will have barbed wire around it, with an earwig on top. I've managed to track down an earwig ( put back with its family afterwards ) for reference.
So, lots of random carving, planning, procrastinating in the form of obsessions with new designs…
Ooh, and removing the flashing from my lizards and floral object. Not the most professional looking set-up, but it worked for me. Keeping the glass wet, and using diamond coated burrs to remove the excess glass, and reinstate the original carved surface. The next step will be to add the same finish across the piece. More on this next time I see Angela.
Some time later… ; - ), the silver cast results. Im very pleased. These are straight from the casting cans, so very white, and still with casting sprues on.
