Jan 03
I took another of the glass blowing one day workshops at the Mesa Art Center in early December. I do so love playing in the hotshop, but it’s frustrating that the only one day workshops were available as and listed as “no experience required.” On one hand, I like that people have a chance to …
Nov 16
I took a class in lampworking that was to teach this floral technique. It makes very girly, feminine, frilly beads. I soon figured out that while the techniques were interesting (making a simple radially symmetrical cane and then using it to add details), I didn’t like the way the beads looked. Still, I thought I ought to …
Sep 26
My friend and pottery mentor Bridget Harper made this special porcelain that vitrifies at a low temperature. She warned me that it wasn’t easy to work with, but I was able to roll out thin sheets by using a pasta machine. I stamped these with commercial rubber stamps, then trimmed them to 1″ square. They …
Aug 03
For the third paperweight, this one, I decided to use the optic mold. This is a star-shaped mold that tapers to a narrow point. I believe it’s made of aluminum. After rolling my first gather of glass in the frit and melting the frit into it, I put the jack glass-side down and push, incising …
Jul 31
This was my second paperweight I made at the one-day workshop I did in May. My idea was to quickly pull a bird into shape out of the hot glass I’d gathered. This is easier said than done. My bird quickly became a melted taffy impersonation, and it was all I could do to loop …
