New Year - New Work

 I have been working on a bit of new work in this new year of 2023.

I have neglected to take pictures of some of the new work, but I did get these pictures - 

I have been making glass flower wreaths for years and I have sold quite a few, but I had this new idea of putting the flowers into a glass form that can be hung on the wall.

I have a few more in the works.

I have had this idea for months. I wanted to include some flameworked items with my mosaic and last summer I created a bunch of 'smiles' to include with this mirror.

Since this picture this mirror has been grouted. 

I hope folks will understand the tongue in cheek 'smile' reference.

I am also excited to have a picture chosen to be displayed at the Garden Expo in Madison, WI. I have it packaged and ready to send off for the competition during the garden conference.

The growing season was ending fast with a hard frost, but this coneflower was still trying to bloom.

I am excited to see what my competition will be and also because I have never exhibited my photos before.

~ Julie

New Processes, New Work

I purchased a new tutorial by Komal C. Prassad for a fusing process - Controlled Gaps that I have wanted to learn for the last few years. Honestly, there are a bunch of processes/techniques that I want to try. My love of learning new things keeps me learning new things. It keeps my life interesting in these pandemic times.

This dish is the result of the new tutorial - 

I really like the result and have another (same process, different design) dish slumping in the kiln today.

I have also been playing around with a electroforming. I have always loved the look of electroforming when combined with beads and glass and I recently took an electroforming class from Terry Henry via Facebook. She makes the best electroformed bugs/animals with glass parts.

I'm just getting started. I have some objects that didn't work, a few that have worked, and some still in the bath. This was a leaf that I picked up on a walk this week. The small bit of glass is a headpin that I made a while ago. The headpin is now electroformed onto the leaf. I still need to figure out finishing my objects with a patina to better show the texture, but that will come.

I took a class last month at the Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass in Neenah, WI where I worked with Deanna Clayton to make a pate de verre, also known as paste glass, bowl. Deanna Clayton fused the bowls and finished them after they were created in the class. The finished bowl has an electroformed rim. Very cool.

Another project I finished recently was some knobs for my bathroom. The bathroom was done being remodeled years ago and the cabinets needed knobs. I finally created knobs that I am happy with and got them installed.

Keeping the kilns warm,

~ Julie

Reactions & New Mold

      

I have really enjoyed playing with reactive glass. Above is the latest reactive dish slumped into a subtle curved shape.

I splurged this week and purchased a new glass slumping mold - a ball bowl.

      

I love the shape and have been waiting to slump this glass into a shape, but didn't have a mold large enough.

~ Julie