Inspiration

Inspiration for new pieces comes from many different places - nature, a fleeting image, the Internet, other glass artists, photos, attempting a technique or out of thin air. I have so much to learn and sometimes I just ape another person's work to see if I can accomplish it.

Recently Christine Masters posted a piece that she created and I really liked it. I also thought that I had the skills and equipment to replicate this project, Strings of Color Between White.

I did change the project a bit. I fused colored glass stringers very close together onto a clear glass strip and then fused this strip between white pieces with a clear glass base. I generally like designs that are not centered, so I placed my colored glass strip off center.

 I like it. Thanks Christine, this was a very nice project.

~ Julz

January, ugh

Already the 20th of January.
Wow!

I really don't like it when time speeds by so fast that I have to gulp air to catch my breath. I'm not sure why life's everyday details sometimes overwhelm.
darn

My new glass that didn't fail -

Just a small dish with a black border. I just needed to fire the kiln and have success.

Yes.

My first try at kiln pressed glass - 

My kiln acted up and somehow, for some reason stopped

in the middle of the fire schedule.

The glass didn't finish melting and then cooled too fast and cracked!

Since this time my kiln has given me 2 different error messages 

and didn't complete the programmed firing schedule.

I'm still scratching my head about my kiln.

I need to figure this out, so I am trying some very simple things.

It is a good time of the year to fire kilns. 

The temps tonight in Wisconsin are threatening to be -9 degrees Fahrenheit.

With a wind that is forcing the wind chill to -25F. 

YUCK!

If I dress warm enough - I can still walk the dog in the morning, 

but even the dog doesn't want to go out in this air temperature 

and I can't blame him.

Hope you are staying warm,

~ Julz

Happy New Year!

I have been traveling.

We left the cold and snowy Wisconsin winter and traveled to chilly Florida.
Florida weather was too chilly to swim in the ocean, but it wasn't too cold to walk barefoot in the sand.
 

I located glass where ever I went in Florida. Imagine that?

The above stained glass panels were in a pub that we visited for lunch. 

I really liked how the glass artist used two dimensional elements in the panels.

We stayed at a bed and breakfast and the above transom was above the B&B's main entry.

I really liked the small offset flower's color and simple design.

A short side trip brought us to a Chihuly exhibit. 

Pictures were forbidden of the actual exhibit, but there were a few objects outside to photograph.

This was an interesting display of glass billet.

One regret was that I wasn't able to find any good beach glass.

The trip was a good diversion from our current winter. We returned to 14 degree weather with nasty winds. Our family had never traveled during the holidays, but finding a warmer place for a time was okay this year. 

Now on to my next project . . .  Kiln-Pressed Glass.

I can't wait.

~ Julz