Adding depth to fused glass 1

After my first few firings with the kiln I wanted to add depth to my work.

The easiest way was to fuse clear glass onto the work. This gives a lighter colour when overlaid on transparent glass as in this suncatcher.

Setting up the glass

Fired suncatcher showing lighter shades under the clear glass

There is no change in the underlying colour on opaque glass, but depth of the piece is apparent with shadows and refraction at the edges of the clear glass inlay.

First glass firing

Once the kiln was installed I purchased a range of glass in different colours, both transparent and clear.

The first firing was an experiment - I was not sure what would happen.

To get some idea I set up a long clear strip with a square of each of the transparent colours. The second large piece was a grid of transparent strips. As the middle blue was wide I added clear strips between the three outer coloured strips to keep an even glass mass, so that the finished surface would be reasonably level. This left voids either side of the centre blue strip.

The remaining space in the kiln was filled with little clumps of offcuts, some fusing glass and the others from my stained glass work - each clump of the latter having been cut from the same piece of glass to ensure that it was compatible.

Opening the kiln after firing is the best part of the process - seeing the newly formed glass.

 

The long test piece has made a nice 'suncatcher' as I had  moulded a tube through the top to take a suspension wire.

               

Fused glass produces a suncatcher with a very different quality that looks more natural and organic than the more usual 'stained glass' pieces. I enjoy the technical process of making 3D stained glass work, but for flat work think that fused glass looks far better.

 The grid of strips fused together, giving a woven effect. Some colours dominate the overlying glass and others merge. Being transparent the piece only looked good on a plain light coloured surface. After a while I decided to tack fuse it onto an opaque white base so that it would look better and could be used as a plate stand.

The small clumps were mainly successful, and could be used as jewelery, although some of the streaky glass was dull after firing. I assume the dulness is a product of the type of glass, as it is finished and not intended for further fusing.

Cubes 1

The first 'dimensional' piece I made on the course was a 4 inch cube to my own design standing on a cut off corner.

Once I established my home studio this piece led to more three dimensional pieces that I refer to as my 'Cubic' series. So far there are four designs in the series, worked on at different times and interspersed with other designs.

Cubic 2 was a fairly obvious development, with four corners shaved off.

Part of the fun of working with glass is seeing the effects of light on the piece.

 It is light that brings the work to life.

The body was made in transparent glass with textured green swirls, while smokey grey originally used in Cubic1 was used for the corner panels. When I revisit this design I will use stronger colours to see how it changes the look.

During the course I had planned to make a large piece with all bevels, 4 inch squares and triangles. I'm not sure if I lost the triangles or did not purchase them, as I was selecting quite a bit of glass at the time. Anyhow, Cubic3 now has the square bevels and art glass triangles. The triangles were made from smokey grey and strong wispy blue.

 

While working on the piece I discovered that it looked quite good standing on one of the triangular sides.

An incidental effect is the depth of image provided by the mirrored base.

Bevels add extra dimensions to the light that is transmitted and refracted through the sculpture.

On first sight Cubic3 does not look like a cube. However, imagine that the beveled glass, base and open top are the faces of a 6 inch cube, then cut off all 8 corners to give equilateral triangles.  

I have also been playing with different ways of treating the solder seams. In Cubic1 the solder joints were cleaned and polished. However, the bright silver lines tend to be visually dominant and detract from the glass.

The next step is seen in Cubic2 with the application a copper patina (also used on its contemporary, the three dimensional star). This is an improvement on polished silver, and seemed very good at the time.

Black patina was used on Cubic3. When first applied this is a dead matt black, but finishing compound brings up a deep polish that can be so reflective as to appear silver. Neither was the finish that I was looking for.

Cubic4 came about as an amalgamation of the last of the suspended sculptures and the Cubic series. In fact it is the only true cube! I had set up a cutting jig for the last of the suspended sculptures and cut more two inch squares that were needed. After finishing that piece I decided to try something simpler - so built a cube with a lift off lid. The lid was made from two pieces of glass, laminated together. The glue joint showed in the clear glass so, having just invested in a fusing kiln, I decided to try a fused lid.

  
With this piece I arrived at a suitable treatment for the solder joints that complements the glass. The solder joint is cleaned then polished, copper patina applied and buffed, then black patina is brushed on and quickly washed off. Once dried it is cleaned and polished with two coats of finishing compound. The result is close to weathered bronze with a polished finish.

A simple star

After the complications of constructing the last suspended sculpture I decided to do something nice and simple.

A traditional star using bevels. Just foil the pieces and pin them down on the board for soldering . . .

Rather than apply a patina the solder has been left silver, polished with finishing compound to delay tarnishing. Occasional applications of wax polish will keep the shine.

Even in a simple two dimensional piece beveled glass can provide pleasing shapes and throw an array of highlights, making a delightful suncatcher.

A collection of suspended sculptures throwing highlights into the room.

Suspended Sculptures 1

I find that working on one project usually triggers ideas for more designs. To this end I keep a sketch book devoted to ideas for glass projects. Often, what is eventually made is in itself an evolution of the idea in the sketch book.

My final project on the course was a three dimensional star constructed from square bevels.

While working on it I could see a number of possible developments, primarily by using coloured glass and by changing the shape of the component pieces.

My next step was a combination of the two, using coloured glass in 'kite' shapes that kept the 90° angle for the core of the sculpture.

This resulted in a more obvious star shape, but with the same basic structure. I used wispy amber glass for the vertical arms and a transparent amber with surface texture for the other arms. I also treated the solder with copper patina to get away from the bright silver lines that distract from the colour and texture of the glass (but would all to soon become a dull grey).

 For me the pleasure of glass is seeing it changing the light that shines through it.

The projected sunlight in this image enhances the texture of the glass surface.

A week or two later I decided to extend the basic design using coloured glass squares and bevels. A simple jig was set up to cut a selection of coloured two inch squares (which incidentally inspired another cubic design).

While quite simple in concept this piece proved something of a challenge to construct. I really need a bench vise with a swivel head to hold the pieces for soldering. As it was I made do with the two salvaged computer hard drives, blocks of wood, card and push pins. These enabled me to position the work to keep the joint being soldered horizontal.

The two bevels throw highlights, enhancing the projected colours.

The solder has been treated with a more complicated patina, using copper and black, to give an antiqued finish. While holding the piece and polishing I was reminded of my sextant, with its selection of square coloured filters that could be pivoted over the telescope lens and horizon glass to protect the eyes from the full strength of the sun.